Department for Transport

Railways: Tickets

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals on rail retail reform.

Kevin Foster: Whilst we will not be taking forward primary legislation on rail reform in this session due to pressures on Parliamentary time.We are continuing to work with the sector to tackle the challenges set out in the Plan for Rail, including improving online retail for the benefit of customers and other areas for reform which do not require primary legislation to be undertaken.

Motor Vehicles: Speed Limits

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of rules on speed guidance systems in cars; and if she will take steps to introduce new requirements to ensure in-vehicle systems (a) follow road rules and (b) can be overridden by drivers when they do not.

Katherine Fletcher: There are currently no mandatory requirements for speed guidance systems fitted to cars in Great Britain. Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) is such a system and was mandated for new vehicles by the European Union (EU) from this year under an agreed a package of measures known as the General Safety Regulation (GSR) but does not apply to the UK following our EU Exit.The UK’s departure from the EU provides the platform to capitalise on regulatory freedoms and make decisions that are right for road safety in Great Britain. An assessment is being undertaken on vehicle technologies introduced by GSR and a decision will be taken in due course as to whether to mandate any of those in Great Britain.Irrespective of the technology deployed on a vehicle and how it performs, the driver is required by law to be in control of their vehicle at all times. Therefore, as a principle, any Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), like ISA, can be overridden or switched off by the driver at any time.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of speed limits on smart motorways.

Katherine Fletcher: Rules 124-125 of The Highway Code set out the speed limits applicable on motorways (including smart motorways), in accordance with the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.Smart motorways have variable mandatory speed limits to smooth traffic flow, and reduce congestion, and have electronic signs to warn drivers of incidents ahead. This enables less speeding, tailgating and fewer rapid changes of speed.Enforcement by the Police is one of a number of measures which are used to encourage compliance with variable speed limits and ensure that schemes are working as intended.

Large Goods Vehicles: Registration

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of arrangements with the Netherlands for sharing foreign HGV registration details.

Lucy Frazer: The Netherlands, like other EU Member States, can request HGV registration details under Mutual Legal Assistance provisions. However, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement suspends timescales for responding to Mutual Legal Assistance requests for vehicle registration data in respect of the enforcement of minor traffic offences until 1 January 2024. Requests are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.We are reviewing our approach to the provision of data once timescales apply.

Motorways: North West

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of smart motorways in the North West of England.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the removal of hard shoulders on new smart motorways in the North West of England.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made on the viability of new smart motorways; and what assessment she has made of the value for money of those motorways given that they do not have a hard shoulder.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of smart motorways where the hard shoulder (a) remains and (b) has been removed.

Katherine Fletcher: We have paused the rollout of new smart motorways to collect more safety and economic data to make informed decisions on next steps. We will also consider alternative options for enhancing capacity on the Strategic Road Network. The latest evaluation of safety is found in Smart motorways stocktake - Second year progress report 2022, https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/smart-motorways-evidence-stocktake/. National Highways publishes Post Opening Project Evaluations for all individual smart motorway schemes when one-year data and five-year data is available. These are published at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/post-opening-project-evaluation-pope-of-major-schemes/.

Cycling: Children

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will work with the Secretary of State for Education to set a target for the proportion of children to have benefited from cycling proficiency training by the end of Year 6, including through the Bikeability programme.

Lucy Frazer: Since 2007 the Department for Transport has provided funding for over four million children in England, outside London, to learn safe cycling skills through Bikeability cycle training, and our manifesto commits us to extending cycle training to every child.

Aviation: Lost Property

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) the compensation process for missing airline luggage and (b) airline (i) processes and (ii) timescales for declaring luggage as lost to enable the payment of (A) compensation and (B) travel insurance claims.

Katherine Fletcher: The Montreal Convention 1999 is the international convention that establishes airline liability for delay, damage or loss of baggage. In the event of baggage being lost, damaged or delayed, passengers should contact their airline. In the event they cannot reach an appropriate conclusion with the airline, passengers can escalate complaints either through Alternative Dispute Resolution, or through the Civil Aviation Authority Passenger Advice and Complaints Team.We published the Aviation Passenger Charter in July 2022, which sets out the rights and responsibilities of passengers at each stage of their journey, including what to do if things go wrong, such as lost baggage.

Bus Services: Older People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing free off-peak bus travel for people over 60 in England.

Lucy Frazer: Funding the concessionary bus pass costs around £1 billion annually and any changes would have an impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.In England, the age of eligibility for the concessionary bus pass is linked to the state pension age. This addresses the anomalous position of non-disabled, working age citizens receiving free bus buses, which in turn supports the financial sustainability of the scheme. There are no current plans to change the concessionary bus travel age of eligibility in England.However, concessionary travel legislation gives local authorities the flexibility to offer local travel concessions, such as reducing the eligible age for a bus pass to 60.The additional concessions above the statutory minimum are not funded by central Government but by their own local resources.

Large Goods Vehicles

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made on the dual registration scheme for specialist events hauliers.

Lucy Frazer: Dual registration allows eligible operators to transfer their vehicles between their two operator licences without needing to change vehicles mid-tour.Following successful Parliamentary Passage, the legislation underpinning the dual registration measure came into force in July 2022. Specialist events hauliers who meet the required criteria – including operating under a hire or reward model, and maintaining operator bases within and outside of GB – have therefore been able to use this measure since this time.

Driverless Vehicles: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the £100 million of new R&D funding to support commercial deployment of connected and self-driving technologies and the creation of a safety assurance framework, announced in Connected & Automated Mobility 2025: Realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles in the UK, published in August 2022, from which specific departmental budget headings that spending will be funded.

Lucy Frazer: Of the £100 million funding allocated to the Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, as set out in the Connected and Automated Mobility 2025 paper:£66 million will be funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's research and development funding to support commercialisation of the technologies.£34 million will be funded by the Department for Transport. Of this, £26 million is allocated to research and development of technical safety standards, social and behavioural research, and safety assurance methodologies. £8 million is allocated to the development of new processes within the Department’s Motoring Agencies.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with international counterparts on improving data sharing between international vehicle registration databases.

Lucy Frazer: Department for Transport officials engage with a range of international counterparts on issues including data sharing between international vehicle registration databases, both in the context of wider negotiations and in response to specific queries from international partners.While it would not be appropriate to comment on the details of these conversations, the UK is committed to honouring its international obligations.The Secretary of State for Transport has not been involved directly in discussions on this matter.

Large Goods Vehicles: Driving Licences

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what help is available to those who have (a) no money or (b) are unemployed to get a HGV Licence.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has invested up to £34 million in skills bootcamps to train up to 11,000 more people to become HGV drivers. These are free, short, intensive courses to train new drivers to gain an HGV licence. In addition, the Large Goods Vehicle Driver apprenticeship standard to train articulated HGV drivers, which is supported with up to £7,000 of funding, and the Urban Driver apprenticeship to train rigid HGV drivers with up to £5,000 of funding are available for businesses.Support for education and training outside England is a matter for the devolved administrations.The Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus in England, Scotland and Wales are also supporting jobseekers become HGV drivers where appropriate. Some Jobcentre regions have created Sector-based Work Academy Programmes where the local job market requires more HGV drivers.Employment support is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Large Goods Vehicles: Accidents

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic collisions foreign HGV drivers have been involved in the last 10 years on UK roads.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not available as the Department’s reported road collisions statistics are not broken down by nationality of driver.

Department for Transport: Buildings

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of work stations available for people employed by his Department on departmental premises.

Kevin Foster: There are 11,284 work stations available for use on departmental premises.

Driverless Vehicles

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will provide a breakdown of planned spend for the £34 million allocated to support commercial deployment of connected and self-driving technologies.

Lucy Frazer: £34 million of funding has been allocated to the Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles by the Department for Transport, as set out in the Connected and Automated Mobility 2025 paper, to support the creation of a safety and security assurance framework.Of this funding, £26 million is allocated to research and development of technical safety standards, social and behavioural research, and safety assurance methodologies. £8 million is allocated to the development of new processes within the Department’s Motoring Agencies.

Great British Railways

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department’s plans to produce a (a) Great British Railways White Paper and (b) new Transport Bill in this session of Parliament to implement the proposals in that White Paper.

Kevin Foster: The Plan for Rail White Paper was produced in 2021.We are committed to tackling the challenges set out in the Plan for Rail and fully implementing the modernisation needed for passengers and freight, to transform the industry so it is sustainable for the future.Whilst we will not be taking forward primary legislation on rail reform in this session, we are committed to introducing the necessary legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many grants have been issued under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme since its inception in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Lucy Frazer: As of 1st July 2022, the number of domestic charging devices installed under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge scheme in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland is as follows;England - 282,675;Scotland - 24,705;Wales - 12,253;Northern Ireland - 5,679.

Road Traffic: Noise

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's noise detecting traffic camera trials, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using such cameras in Batley and Spen constituency.

Katherine Fletcher: The Department’s roadside trials of noise camera technology commenced on 18 October. Over 70 applications for the trial were received, but due to the project being in the research stage and the prototype nature of the technology, only 4 sites could be selected. Shortlisted sites were chosen based on a number of factors to achieve a sufficiently wide range of road types to test the noise camera technology.Unfortunately, we are unable to consider any further applications for trial locations, but if the trials prove to be successful, noise cameras may be considered for wider rollout.

Large Goods Vehicles: Parking

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the number of safe parking space for hauliers in the UK.

Lucy Frazer: The Government recognises the importance of ensuring hauliers have access to appropriate services and facilities.That is why we are investing £52.5 million in roadside facilities in England for HGV drivers on the road. DfT officials are developing detailed proposals for £32.5m funding, including appropriate grant mechanisms and setting well evidenced criteria. More information will be publicly available in due course with an announcement expected in late Autumn. However, roadside service operators are being encouraged to apply for the National Highways £20 million fund immediately.The funding will go towards supporting operators to make improvements such as improving security, sanitary and eating facilities as well as possibly increasing parking spaces for lorry drivers.We have commissioned a ‘National Survey of Lorry Parking’, which was published on 29th September 2022 and will be used as our primary evidence base to understand what improvements are most needed and where they are needed. The survey and its output will be used to set criteria for government funding. In addition, the Survey is available to support planning applications for new lorry parking.An update to the Strategic Road Network Circular 02/2013 went to public consultation in July. The circular sets out planning policy in relation to the strategic road network and roadside facilities.The Department continues to engage with key stakeholders to encourage the development of more safe, secure, and high-quality lorry parking to improve driver welfare.

Department for Transport: Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.

Kevin Foster: The following table provides the total spend on taxi cabs for the core Department and its agencies, covering financial years 2019-20 to 2021-22. Financial YearExpenditure (£’000)2019-202532020-21242021-22244 The Department is unable to break down travel expense costs for officials and Ministers by mode of transport.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential revocation of EU workers’ rights regulations.

Dean Russell: The UK has one of the best workers’ rights records in the world. Our high standards were never dependent on our membership of the EU and this Government has raised domestic standards in recent years, while also retaining important flexibilities for employers which benefit the economy and wider labour market.

Construction: Mental Health

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the research by the Chartered Institute of Building entitled Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment, published on 11 May 2020, and the research by Mates in Mind and The Institute for Employment Studies entitled Supporting the mental health of self-employed construction workers, published in June 2022, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of procurement demands on the mental health of workers in (a) construction industry supply chains and (b) other parts of the construction industry.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy Bills Rebate

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress his Department has made on establishing the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding; and when (a) boat dwellers and (b) park home residents are likely to receive the £400 payment.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment: Lancashire

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the number of jobs that are linked to insulating properties in Lancashire.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Companies House: Fees and Charges

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the Companies House incorporation fee.

Dean Russell: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iron and Steel: Finance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of establishing a fund to help develop the UK steel industry, following the return of money from the EU Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iron and Steel

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help deliver a (a) modern and (b) green steel sector by 2050.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Directors: Disqualification

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of directors who have been disqualified for fraudulent activity and have since committed further fraud offences after being disqualified, in each of the last five years.

Dean Russell: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Compensation: Court Orders

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of Compensation Orders that have been made and (b) the total amount of funds that have been recouped from Compensation Orders in each of the last five years.

Dean Russell: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Directors: Disqualification

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the amount recouped to creditors other than HMRC through Compensation Orders made against directors disqualified under the powers of the Rating and Director Disqualification Act 2021 to date.

Dean Russell: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Companies: Registration

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of companies that have been automatically struck off the Companies House register where fraudulent activity was suspected to have taken place in each of the last five years.

Dean Russell: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ofgem

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of abolishing Ofgem.

Graham Stuart: The law requires Ofgem, as the expert independent regulator to enforce Supply Licence Conditions and ensure consumers are treated fairly. The Prime Minister announced a review of energy regulation on 8 September and more details will be published shortly.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the rollout out of Electric Vehicle charging points, particularly in rural areas.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Of the £2.5 billion of Government funding committed to the Electric Vehicle (EV) transition since 2020, £1.6 billion will be invested into accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure, targeting support on rapid chargepoints on motorways and major A roads to assuage any anxiety around long journeys, and installing more on-street chargepoints near homes and workplaces to make charging reliable and easy. In the spring we published our electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, which defines our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading network. The strategy laid out our commitments to make EV charging cheaper and more convenient than refuelling at a petrol station right across the country. The Department for Transport monitors the progress of the installation of chargepoints and publishes data, broken down to local authority areas, on a quarterly basis, the latest of which was as at 1st July 2022. Government will continue to monitor market developments to determine whether any significant gaps in charging infrastructure provision emerge in the medium term and whether there may be a case for direct central government support in areas of market failure, which may include rural areas.

Fracking

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Chancellor's statement of 17 October 2022, whether it remains his policy to lift the moratorium on fracking.

Graham Stuart: It remains the Government’s policy to lift the moratorium on shale gas exploration.

Fracking: Planning Permission

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, of the shale gas extraction sites using hydraulic fracturing, (a) how many and (b) which have permissions to undertake exploration work.

Graham Stuart: The North Sea Transition Authority offers Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences. There are currently 151 onshore petroleum licences in effect. These are not specific to shale gas, and do not give permission for operations. Further consents and approvals are required to undertake hydraulic fracturing activity, as well as from other regulators including the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.

Multinational Companies: Disclosure of Information

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps to incentivise multinational companies to take into account climate-related risks when preparing financial reports.

Graham Stuart: Since April 2022, the largest UK-registered companies are required by law to disclose their material financial risks and opportunities associated with climate change in their annual reports, the potential effect of those risks and opportunities and how they are managed. This obligation applies to the global operations of UK companies, including overseas subsidiaries. The Financial Conduct Authority requires climate-related financial disclosures from all UK listed companies on a comply or explain basis. These measures are part of the package that fulfils the government’s commitment to be the first G20 country to mandate climate-related financial disclosures across significant parts of our economy.

Biofuels

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his timescale is for publishing the Biomass Strategy.

Graham Stuart: The Government is actively progressing work on the Biomass Strategy and plans to publish it in due course.

Heating: Biofuels

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential role of bioLPG in decarbonising heat in off-gas grid properties.

Graham Stuart: The Government expects heat pumps will be the primary technology for decarbonising off-grid buildings. The Government recognises that not all off-grid properties will be suitable for a heat pump and there will be a role for alternative low carbon technologies where heat pumps cannot be used. Further evidence is needed to assess what role biofuels such as bioLPG or hydrotreated vegetable oil could play in the future heating mix – in particular the overall amount of sustainable biomass available to the UK and how this could be best used across the economy to achieve our net zero target.

Heat Pumps: Rural Areas

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential viability and contribution of hybrid heat pumps to give off-gas grid properties fuel security on the route to decarbonisation.

Graham Stuart: The Government expects heat pumps will be the primary technology for decarbonising off-grid buildings. The Government recognises not all off-grid properties will be suitable for a heat pump and there will be a role for alternative low-carbon technologies. To play a long-term role, all fuels used by a hybrid system must be consistent with net zero. Further evidence is needed to assess what role biofuels could play in the future heating mix – in particular the overall amount of sustainable biomass available to the UK and how this could be best used across the economy to help deliver net zero.

Energy Bills Rebate: Fuel Oil

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department will publish further information for off-grid homeowners on (a) accessing the £100 Alternative Fuel Payment and (b) additional support to help with the cost of energy.

Graham Stuart: The Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) will provide a one-off payment of £100 to households that use alternative fuels for heating instead of mains gas. Eligible households in Great Britain will receive £100 credit on their electricity bill this winter. This is in addition to the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS), which delivers a £400 non-repayable discount to households with an electricity meter. For those not on standard gas or electricity contracts the EBSS Alternative Fund will provide equivalent support. Further details will be announced in due course.

Energy Bills Rebate: Fuel Oil

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department will publish further information for off-grid businesses on (a) a non-domestic alternative fuel payment and (b) further support to assist with the cost of energy.

Graham Stuart: Further details on support for off-grid businesses and on the design of the scheme will be provided shortly.

Fracking: Planning Permission

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether companies that hold a licence for hydraulic fracturing for shale gas exploration will require further permissions to commence excavation.

Graham Stuart: The North Sea Transition Authority offers Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDLs); however, these are not specific to shale gas and do not give permission for operations. Further consents and approvals are required to undertake hydraulic fracturing activity, as well as from other regulators including the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.

Energy: Disability

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that disabled people with higher than average energy needs are supported with energy bills beyond the end of the Energy Bills Relief Scheme in March 2023.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of ensuring that people who use medical equipment in the home continue to receive support with the cost of energy bills after April 2023.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of offering disabled people additional non-means-tested support with their energy bills.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Energy Price Guarantee in instances where households have higher than average consumption of energy due to running essential medical equipment such as ventilators, feeding pumps and dialysis machines.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what further steps he will take in addition to the Energy Price Guarantee to limit the impact of rising energy prices on people who use essential medical equipment including dialysis machines, ventilators and feeding pumps in the home.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of offering specific financial support to people who use medical equipment including dialysis machines, ventilators and feeding pumps in the home.

Graham Stuart: The Government has announced unprecedented support within its Growth Plan to protect households and businesses from high energy prices. The Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme are supporting millions of households and businesses with rising energy costs, and they will continue to do so from now until April next year. The Government will continue to monitor the prices of energy and will consider further intervention to protect UK households from extraordinary prices.

Small Businesses: Inflation

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to help small and medium-sized enterprises manage the impact of high inflation.

Dean Russell: The Government has reversed the National Insurance rise, which will save small businesses approximately £4,200, cut fuel duty for 12 months and brought in the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, to protect small business’ high energy bills over the winter.

Business

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to (a) encourage entrepreneurship and (b) support small business expansion.

Dean Russell: The Government is committed to supporting SMEs through exemption of new regulations where possible. This exemption was recently extended to businesses with up to 500 employees, potentially reducing red tape and bureaucracy for up to 40,000 more businesses. The British Business Bank is supporting over £12.2bn of finance to over 96,000 SMEs. Schemes include Start-Up Loans and the Recovery Loan Scheme. The Government has also acted to reverse the National Insurance rise, which will save small businesses £4,200 on average.

Hydrogen: Research

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of research at Swansea University on the production of green hydrogen from off-peak renewables and recycled plastic.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government welcomes research into waste-to-hydrogen technologies. We have stretching ambitions for low carbon hydrogen production in the UK and our innovation and deployment support is designed to bring forward multiple production technologies.

Medicine: Research

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support medical research charities.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I recognise the important role medical research charities play in saving lives. We announced £20 million in 2021/22 to support the vital work of medical research charities and develop a pipeline of early career researchers in their areas.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Railways

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how much his Department spent on first class train travel for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in (i) 2020, (i) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Michael Tomlinson: Nothing has been spent on first class train travel in a) 2020, b) 2021 and c) 2022.

Attorney General: Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how much his Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.

Michael Tomlinson: The table below set outs the amount spent by Attorney General’s Office on taxis over the last 3 years.2020-21 £54.312021-22 £191.802022-23 £796.05Total £1,042.16

Howard Morrison

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the announcement of support to the former Ukrainian Prosecutor General on 28 March 2022, (a) whether Sir Howard Morrison was still employed as an advisor to the current Ukrainian Prosecutor General as of 10 October 2022, and (b) what remuneration he has received for his work each month since 1 April 2022.

Michael Ellis: Sir Howard Morrison KC continues to act as an Independent Advisor to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General and his costs are covered by the Attorney General’s Office and FCDO in line with internal programme fund arrangements. He provides a mix of services and advice, both pro bono and at a below market rate fixed daily stipend, to ensure maximum value for taxpayer funds. Sir Howard is also reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in this work. I remain very grateful to him for taking on the role.

Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Health Services: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Easington constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The NHS Long Term Plan stated the aim of increasing the mental health workforce in England by an additional 27,000 professionals by 2023/24. NHS England and Health Education England are working with local integrated care systems, including in the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System, to confirm plans for service models, supply, retention and recruitment until 2024.NHS England continues to support local systems, including in in the North East, to develop tailored health and wellbeing offers to meet the needs of the local mental health workforce. This includes mental health hubs in each integrated care system and occupational health services which are being supported through the Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing national programme.

Food: Labelling

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of calorie labelling on menus on people with (a) eating disorders and (b) forms of body dysmorphia, and what steps her Department took to limit the potential negative impacts of that policy on those groups.

Dr Caroline Johnson: In response to consultation feedback, we have exempted schools from the requirement to display calorie information and we included provision for businesses to provide a menu without calorie information at the request of the customer. We continue to evaluate the impact of the out of home calorie labelling Regulations, including on people living with eating disorders. We will publish a post-implementation review within five years of implementation, which will consider the implementation and effectiveness of the policy.

Mental Health Services: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Chesterfield constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The NHS Long Term Plan stated the aim of increasing the mental health workforce in England by an additional 27,000 professionals by 2023/24. NHS England and Health Education England are working with local integrated care systems, including in the Joined Up Care Derbyshire Integrated Care System, to confirm plans for service models, supply, retention and recruitment until 2024.NHS England continues to support local systems, including in Derbyshire, to develop tailored health and wellbeing offers to meet the needs of the local mental health workforce. This includes mental health hubs in each integrated care system and occupational health services which are being supported through the Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing national programme.

Life Expectancy: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of recent trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: There are no current plans to make a specific assessment. ‘Our plan for patients’, published on 22 September, sets out the immediate priorities to support individuals to live healthier lives, including improving access to health and care services in all areas and preventing ill-health. Further information on measures to address health disparities will be available in due course.

Health: Females

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what investments the National Institute for Health and Care Research has made into research on women’s health conditions since July 2022.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has 10 domestic projects on women’s health conditions which have commenced since July 2022, with a value of £7.8 million. Other NIHR-funded projects on women’s health conditions are ongoing and there are further projects awaiting contracting.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including women’s health conditions. However, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Mental Health Services: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Streatham constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS England: Racial Discrimination

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of complaints received by NHS England in each reporting year since 2017 have been related to racism.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health: Ethnic Groups

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the (a) findings and (b) recommendations of the Birmingham and Lewisham African Caribbean Health Inequalities Review, published in March 2022.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Learning Disability

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that local authorities are able to provide training to local health services on the needs of residents with learning disabilities.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Greater London

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2022 to Question 59947 on General Practitioners: Greater London, how many NHS GPs there were by (a) clinical commissioning group and (b) NHS Trust in London in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Eating Disorders: Bristol West

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support young people with eating disorders in Bristol West constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Bristol West

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Bristol West constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has with representatives of (a) pharmaceutical and (b) life science companies on changes in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access rebate rate.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access rebate rate on foreign direct investment into UK life science R&D.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Walsall South constituency in each six month period of the last three years.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Walsall South constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Midwives: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Walsall South constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has to issue a Preliminary Policy Proposition on secondary mitral regurgitation for consultation.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the NICE’s Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee is expected to meet to develop guidance on mitral valve replacement.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to publish a (a) commissioning policy and (b) policy statement on Tricuspid valve repair.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ophthalmic Services

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to help promote better eye care to help prevent sight loss conditions.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Wirral West

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of (a) four and (b) 11 were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Wirral West constituency in each of the last five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Wirral West

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Wirral West constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Wirral West

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Wirral West constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Perinatal Mortality: Wirral West

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Wirral West constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy: Sunderland Central

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Sunderland Central constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: City of Durham

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that every child in the City of Durham constituency has access to an NHS dentist.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Perinatal Mortality: Sunderland Central

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Sunderland Central constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medical Records: Disclosure of Information

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the practice of limiting the access of patients’ health records between the National Health Services of the devolved Administrations.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Maternity Services

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of maternity units open in England in each of the last five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Barts Health NHS Trust: Waiting Lists

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of staff shortages on the number of cancelled elective and non-elective surgeries within Barts Health NHS Trust.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Barts Health NHS Trust: Agency Workers

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the cost of providing agency staff due to shortages of NHS staff within Barts Health NHS Trust in the last 12 months.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HIV Infection: West Ham

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to help improve the (a) quality of life and (b) life expectancy of people diagnosed with HIV and resident in West Ham constituency; and what steps she is taking to help target her Department’s response to affected communities.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dementia: Screening

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to provide additional resources to GP practices in deprived areas to increase dementia screening rates.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Ilford North

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices in the Ilford North constituency were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission as of 17 October 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Ilford North

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in the Ilford North constituency as of October 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Ilford North

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in the Ilford North constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to ensure the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is adequately resourced.

Robert Jenrick: Funding for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is determined in advance through collaborative Spending Review processes. This funding has been provided for the MHRA’s transformation programme to ensure an efficient organisation, which focuses on patient safety and engagement and improving access to innovation in the National Health Service. It is currently consulting on increases to its statutory fees to ensure all costs involved are recovered.

Surgery: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Leeds North West constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in Leeds North West. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.The target to eliminate waiting times of two years or more for elective procedures was met in July 2022 and we aim to eliminate waiting time of eighteen months or more by April 2023. This will be achieved through increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand choices made regarding their care.

Health Services: Integrated Care Systems

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what process her Department has put in place for integrated care systems to take responsibility for specialised commissioning services; what role NHS England will have for specialised commissioning in the future; and what the (a) process and (b) timeline will be for the transition.

Robert Jenrick: NHS England are currently determining which specialised services could benefit from being delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs). By April 2023, we expect that some ICBs will have responsibility for delegated commissioning for some specialised services, subject to system and service readiness. NHS England will retain overall accountability for specialised services which are delegated to ICBs to ensure that all standards are maintained.The decision to move some services under direct management of ICBs will be taken where it is advantageous for these services to be overseen locally. This will allow ICBs to work with service providers to deliver care to meets the needs of the community.

Huntington's Disease: Medical Treatments and Research

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of public funding for (a) research and (b) treatment of Huntington's disease.

Robert Jenrick: Expenditure on research into dementia and neurodegeneration, including Huntington’s disease was approximately £420 million from 2015/16 to 2019/20 and £77 million in 2020/21. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has funded two studies into Huntington’s disease with a value of £316,267. In the last five years, the NIHR has also supported the delivery of 39 studies relating to Huntington’s disease via the Clinical Research Network infrastructure. The NIHR is also supporting research on diagnosis and treatment of this condition through its Biomedical Research Centres.No specific assessment of funding for the treatment of Huntington’s disease has been made. However, integrated care boards are responsible for working with local communities, commissioners and organisations to understand the needs of the local population and how to commission services to meet those needs, including the treatment of Huntington’s Disease.

Midwives: Dulwich and West Norwood

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency.

Robert Jenrick: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Dulwich and West Norwood. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of an exemption from payments for new active substances from that scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access includes a 36 month exemption from payments for drugs containing a new active substance, starting once the marketing authorisation has been granted. Treatment of new active substances under a future voluntary scheme is subject to negotiation.

Surgery: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Streatham constituency in the last 12 months.

Robert Jenrick: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Barts Health NHS Trust: Management Consultants

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment she has made of the level of consultancy services costs within Barts Health NHS Trust over the last 12 months in comparison to other NHS health trusts in the country.

Robert Jenrick: No specific assessment has been made. National Health Service trusts are currently permitted to award contracts according to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and would seek further approval from NHS England if financial approval thresholds were exceeded.The Cabinet Office are deploying spending controls to the NHS for individual commercial transactions of more than £10 million which are designed to assure and approve business cases.

Huntington's Disease

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with Huntington's disease in (a) Stockport constituency, (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport and (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: This information is not held in the format requested.

Midwives: Wirral West

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Wirral West constituency.

Robert Jenrick: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Wirral West. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Dentistry: Registration

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with the General Dental Council on the adequacy of the international registration process for dental professionals.

Will Quince: We have had regular engagement with the General Dental Council (GDC) in developing and consulting on legislative proposals to allow greater flexibility to amend its existing international registration processes and explore alternative registration pathways. The resulting draft order was laid in Parliament for debate on 11 October. Subject to Parliamentary approval, we aim to introduce the legislative changes later this year.

Evusheld

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Minister of Health's oral contribution on 13 October 2022, Official Report, column 107WH, by what date he expects to complete the review of the (a) Francis Crick Institute study and (b) Lancet Journal article; and if he set out details of how that review will be conducted.

Robert Jenrick: The review will be conducted in due course by the RAPID C-19 members, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NHS England and representatives from the devolved administrations.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS England's Clinical Commissioning Policy: Percutaneous mitral valve leaflet repair for primary degenerative mitral regurgitation in adults, published in July 2019, what progress her Department has made in implementing that policy; and when she plans to complete the implementation of that policy.

Will Quince: NHS England has selected providers to implement the policy, with National Health Service providers identified in each region in England. Regional commissioners and cardiac networks are currently mobilising services in these newly identified providers.

Breast Cancer: Bristol West

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in Bristol West constituency.

Will Quince: The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.

Diabetes: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in Leeds North West constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in Leeds North West constituency in each year from 2016 to 2020, by diabetes type. Type 1oType 2 and other201615210201715260201810250201910340202010165 Source: National Diabetes Audit (NDA)Notes:A person may have more than one diabetes diagnosis within the NDA. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the NDA publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘type 1’ and ‘type 2 and other’ within the NDA. ‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having type 1 diabetes in the NDA. ‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the NDA.

Breast Cancer: Reading East

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in Reading East constituency.

Will Quince: The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.

Dental Services: Sunderland Central

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Sunderland Central constituency in each year from 2010.

Will Quince: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not currently rate providers of primary dental care services.  The CQC publishes an assessment against five ‘key aspects’ which determine whether a dental provider is meeting its regulatory requirements. These are: - Treating people with respect and involving them in their care;- Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs;- Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm;- Staffing; and- Quality and suitability of management.The CQC provides information for the public to find local dentists and profiles, which display the regulatory performance and inspection reports.

Care Homes: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Leeds North West constituency since 2017.

Neil O'Brien: Since January 2017, one care home in Leeds North West constituency has been deactivated. The Care Quality Commission records care homes which have closed as ‘deactivated’. The ‘deactivated’ locations exclude care homes where the provider continues to operate under a new, separate registration. This could be due to a legal entity change or a change in the provider.

Social Services: Ilford North

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in the Ilford North constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. Local authorities have a responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to ensure that the care needs of the local population are met.

Care Homes: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Walsall South constituency in each six month period of the last three years.

Neil O'Brien: The following table shows the number and proportion of care homes in Walsall South constituency rated as ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission in each six month period in the last three years. DateNumber of care homesProportion of care homes3 October 20221254.5%4 April 20221361.9%1 October 20211361.9%5 April 20211361.9%1 October 20201155%6 April 20201157.9%

Multiple Sclerosis and Neurology: Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department are taking to encourage local commissioning areas to incorporate the needs of individuals affected by multiple sclerosis and neurology condition within local strategic planning processes.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support her Department provides to Integrated Care Systems to help ensure people affected by multiple sclerosis receive the best possible care.

Neil O'Brien: The majority of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care, which are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England commissions the specialised elements of MS care for those with more complex health needs.ICBs are responsible for developing a forward plan for its health services, including for MS and neurology.

Care Homes: Sunderland Central

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Sunderland Central constituency in each year since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: The following table shows the number and proportion of care homes in Sunderland Central constituency rated as ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in each year since 2016.DateNumberProportionApril 20223984.8%April 20213986.7%April 20204189.1%April 20193983.0%April 20183669.2%April 20174076.9%April 20163256.1% The CQC began rating National Health Service trusts in 2013, which was extended to other parts of the health and care system in 2015. However, due to changes in the CQC’s taxonomy, data is not held in the format requested prior to 2016.

Patients: Abuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with the Care Quality Commission on the effectiveness of processes to identify (a) unsafe and (b) abusive social care environments and (c) potential future risks of harm to residents.

Neil O'Brien: There have been no recent discussions. The Department is working with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on a new performance assessment framework for local authorities on the delivery of adult social care duties under the Care Act 2014, which includes safety and quality of care.

Surgery: Brentford and Isleworth

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Brentford and Isleworth constituency in the past 12 months.

Robert Jenrick: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Breast Cancer: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in Leeds North West constituency.

Will Quince: The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.

NHS: Warrington North

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what a) financial and b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Warrington North constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention, including in Warrington North.

General Practitioners: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Leeds North West constituency.

Will Quince: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in Leeds North West. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

General Practitioners: Bermondsey and Old Southwark

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency.

Will Quince: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in Bermondsey and Old Southwark. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

General Practitioners: Sunderland Central

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Sunderland Central constituency in each year since 2010.

Will Quince: The information requested is shown in the following table.DateNumber of practicesProportionApril 20221990.5%April 202121100.0%April 202021100.0%April 20192187.5%April 20182184.0%April 20172392.0%April 20161037.0% The Care Quality Commission (CQC) began rating National Health Service trusts in 2013, which was extended to other parts of the health and care system in 2015. Due to changes in the CQC’s taxonomy, the information requested is not held prior to 2016.

General Practitioners: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Walsall South constituency in each six month period of the last three years.

Will Quince: The information requested is shown in the following table. DateNumber of practicesProportion of practices3 October 20221979.2%4 April 20221979.2%1 October 20211875%5 April 20211875%1 October 20201775%6 April 20201872%

Sickle Cell Diseases: Health Services

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to increase the number of staff involved in the care of patients with Sickle Cell.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to create a Sickle Cell passport which can be presented to healthcare professionals when a Sickle Cell patient attends hospital.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to develop automated systems to alert Haematology staff to the presentation of Sickle Cell patients in A&E.

Will Quince: NHS England has oversight of workforce at a national level while decisions are made by each trust.In 2021/22, NHS England funded updates to the National Haemoglobinopathy Registry, which supports clinical teams in the treatment of patients in England with sickle cell disease and other haemoglobinopathies. Patient care plans will be launched in 2022/23, including the development of a portal enabling patients to access and share their medical records with any clinical teams in England.NHS England has also launched a sickle cell clinical pathway review with contributions from patients living with sickle cell disease. Recommendations from the review relating to workforce, digitalisation of care plans and educating the public about the condition will be made to the Executive Quality Group in NHS England at end of November 2022.

General Practitioners: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Leeds North West constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, including in Leeds North West. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workloads, such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and funding to expand the staff roles working in general practice, including in Leeds North West.

Bone Diseases and Rickets

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the prevalence of (a) rickets and (b) osteomalacia in the UK; and what assessment she has made of any regional variances in the prevalence of those conditions.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made.

General Practitioners: Warrington North

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Warrington North constituency (a) as of 17 October 2022 and (b) in 2013.

Will Quince: In September 2013 there were 14 practices registered in Warrington North, with 12 practices registered in October 2022.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not mean a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the affected patients have access to general practice services.

Cancer: Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 10-year cancer plan will include provisions to expand radiotherapy services.

Will Quince: Further details of the 10 year cancer plan, committed to by the Prime Minister on September 7, will be announced in due course.

General Practitioners: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Leeds North West constituency.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP appointments there were in Leeds North West constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) in 2013.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of GP appointments that were conducted face-to-face in Leeds North West constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) in 2013.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Leeds North West. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances. The information requested is not collected in the format requested. In the 12 months to August 2022, there were 15.7 million general practice appointments in the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 67.8% were conducted face-to-face.

Black Country Integrated Care System: General Practitioners

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated to Black Country integrated care system to support GP retention in 2022-23; and how much was spent in 2021-22.

Will Quince: The Black Country Integrated Care System received £711,000 in 2021/22 for local general practitioner retention initiatives and new to practice fellowships. Its indicative allocation for 2022/23 is £1.176 million, which includes funding for retention initiatives and fellowships.

Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria: Screening

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce geographical variation in testing rates for non-tuberculosis mycobacteria in England.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people with non-tuberculosis mycobacteria have access to timely (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment during winter 2022-23.

Dr Caroline Johnson: Patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria will continue to be managed in primary and secondary care settings and treated with the current available treatments known as ‘Guideline Based Therapy’, as recommended in the British Thoracic Society Guideline for the Management of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease. Data on the number of tests undertaken or the degree of geographical variation is not held centrally. All general hospitals can test for non-tuberculous mycobacteria with sputum cultures.The British Thoracic Society Guideline for Long Term Macrolide Use suggests that patients who are able to expectorate should be considered for testing for non-tuberculous mycobacteria prior to starting long term macrolide therapy. NHS England is currently concluding its relative prioritisation process, which will determine access to nebulised amikacin treatment for patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Further information will be available in due course.Although there is no associated specialised service linked to the treatment of this condition, specialised commissioners work with providers of general respiratory services and infectious diseases teams to confirm local pathways for adults and post-pubescent children. Patients may require a referral for management by physicians with significant experience in the treatment of refractory non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease. Providers will ensure that services develop local access protocols for patient groups less likely to have their condition recognised and referred for treatment. These may include homeless people, people involved in the criminal justice system, people addictions and/or substance misuse issues and people with poor literacy or health literacy.

General Practitioners: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of FTE Fully qualified GPs excluding GPs in Training Grade practicing in Streatham constituency (a) on 20 October 2022 and (b) in 2013.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

HIV Infection: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency in each of the last 5 five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: This information is not held in the format requested.

General Practitioners: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of FTE fully qualified GPs, excluding GPs in Training Grade, practicing in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency (a) as of 14 October 2022 and (b) in 2013.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

North East London Health and Care Partnership: General Practitioners

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs who had been previously working in North East London ICS area have left the profession over the last three years.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The NHS Long Term Plan stated the aim of increasing the mental health workforce in England by an additional 27,000 professionals by 2023/24. NHS England and Health Education England are working with local integrated care systems, including in Lancashire and South Cumbria, to confirm plans for service models, supply, retention and recruitment until 2024.NHS England continues to support local systems, including in the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System, to develop tailored health and wellbeing offers to meet the needs of the local mental health workforce. This includes mental health hubs in each integrated care system and occupational health services which are being supported through the Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing national programme.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Females

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to implement the Hatfield Vision proposals announced by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare that by 2030, reproductive health inequalities will have significantly improved for all women and girls.

Dr Caroline Johnson: We will consider the proposals set out in the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare’s Hatfield Vision and will set out our plans in due course.

General Practitioners: Warrington North

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Warrington North constituency.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP appointments in Warrington North constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) 2013.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of GP appointments conducted face-to-face in Warrington North constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) 2013.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Warrington North. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances. Data on general practice appointments is not collected in the format requested. In the 12 months to August 2022, there were 14.5 million general practice appointments in the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 60.2% were conducted face-to-face.

Electronic Cigarettes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of UK Vaping Industry Association guidelines on (a) packaging, (b) labelling and (c) flavour names guidelines on limiting the appeal of e-cigarettes to (i) people who have never smoked and (ii) young people.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits for children's health of increasing the level of fines for underage sales of vaping products.

Dr Caroline Johnson: We have no plans to make a formal assessment of the UK Vaping Industry Association’s guidelines. However, we are considering the recommendations made in ‘The Khan review: making smoking obsolete’, including measures to prevent young people and non-smokers from starting to vape.No assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of fines for underage sales of vaping products has been made. Under the regulations, if an individual is found guilty of selling nicotine inhaling products to a young person under 18 years old, they may be fined up to £2,500. A business found to be repeatedly selling nicotine inhaling products to children could receive a Restricted Sales Order or a Restricted Premises Order from the court.

Mental Health Services: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The NHS Long Term Plan stated the aim of increasing the mental health workforce in England by an additional 27,000 professionals by 2023/24. NHS England and Health Education England are working with local integrated care systems, including Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System, to confirm plans for service models, supply, retention and recruitment until 2024.NHS England continues to support local systems, including Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System, to develop tailored health and wellbeing offers to meet the needs of the local mental health workforce. This includes mental health hubs in each integrated care system and occupational health services which are being supported through the Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing national programme.

Mental Health Services: Tooting

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Tooting constituency.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support young people with eating disorders in Tooting constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: In September we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health and eating disorder services, including in Tooting. Improved access to general practice will expand routes into mental health care, as demonstrated through the A, B, C, D priorities.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand NHS mental health and eating disorder services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Tooting. We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness. including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.

Hyperactivity

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of in ADHD diagnoses among males and females; and if she will make a statement.

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to raise awareness of the symptoms of ADHD in women and girls.

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support she is planning to provide for adults recently diagnosed with ADHD.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made. There is currently no single established dataset which can be used to monitor the number of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses nationally. NHS Digital is working to improve the quality of relevant datasets, such as the Mental Health Services Dataset and the Community Services dataset.It is the responsibility of local commissioners to ensure appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of the local population. Integrated care boards and National Health Service trusts should have due regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline ‘Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management’. The guideline aims to improve the diagnosis of ADHD, recognising that there may be under-diagnosis in women and girls and to improve the quality of care and support for people of all ages who are diagnosed with ADHD.

Dental Services: Stretford and Urmston

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS dentist provision in Stretford and Urmston constituency.

Will Quince: In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Stretford and Urmston.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

General Practitioners: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP appointments in Streatham constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) 2013.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of GP appointments in Streatham conducted face-to-face in (a)  the last 12 months and (b) 2013.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested. In the 12 months to August 2022, there were 8.58 million general practice appointments in the South East London Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 53.8% were conducted face-to-face.

General Practitioners: Birmingham Selly Oak

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP appointments in Birmingham, Selly Oak in (a) the last 12 months and (b) 2013.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of GP appointments in Birmingham, Selly Oak conducted face-to-face in (a) the last 12 months and (b) 2013.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Birmingham, Selly Oak. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances. The information requested on general practice appointments is not collected in the format requested. In the 12 months to August 2022, there were 8.06 million general practice appointments in the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 60.4% were conducted face-to-face.

General Practitioners: Hackney South and Shoreditch

Dame Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP practices were open in Hackney South and Shoreditch constituency on (a) 20 October 2022 and (b) in 2013.

Will Quince: In September 2013, there were 20 practices registered in Hackney South and Shoreditch, with 18 practices registered in October 2022.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice closes, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that affected patients have access to general practitioner services.

HIV Infection: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency in each of the last 5 five years.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in Tooting constituency in each of the last 5 five years.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in Leeds North West constituency in each of the last five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The information is not collected in the format requested.

Hospitals: Staff

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement on 5 September 2022 that the NHS plans to add the equivalent of 7,000 additional beds this winter, (a) what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of (i) clinical and (ii) ancillary staff in hospitals to support those additional beds along with the usual increased winter demand and (b) whether she plans to take steps to increase the numbers of (i) clinical and (ii) ancillary staff in hospitals.

Robert Jenrick: On 12 August 2022, NHS England wrote to National Health Service trusts, foundation trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) on increasing capacity and operational resilience in urgent and emergency care for winter 2022/23. ICBs are responsible for developing plans to recruit sufficient staff. No recent assessment of the adequacy of the number of clinical or ancillary staff to support additional beds or for increased winter demand has been made.There are now over 30,000 additional staff working in NHS provider trusts and commissioning bodies than in July 2021, including a further 3,500 doctors and 9,100 nurses. There were an additional 16,570 professionally qualified clinical staff and 5,387 support staff in June 2022 compared to June 2021.

Pregnancy and Surgical Mesh Implants

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will reconsider the Government's decision not to accept the recommendation of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Review 2022 led by Baroness Cumberlege on the setting up of an independent redress agency for those harmed by mesh implants, and medicines in pregnancy.

Dr Caroline Johnson: We do not believe it is necessary to create a new agency for redress as it is already possible for the government and others to provide redress for specific issues where that is considered necessary. We do not agree that creating an agency would succeed in making products safer or that grouping existing redress schemes would benefit harmed patients. We are prioritising the improvement of the future safety of medicines and medical devices, with high standards for industry to market and manufacture products.

Evusheld

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the contribution by the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care on 12 October to the Westminster Hall debate on the Procurement of Evusheld, Official Report, column 107WH, on what date she plans to announce the accelerated timetable for the NICE assessment of Evusheld.

Robert Jenrick: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is conducting a Health Technology Evaluation of Evusheld. This is the routine process for new medicines to be evaluated for clinical and cost effectiveness, which will provide recommendations through NICE’s guidance on the use of Evusheld in the National Health Service. The NICE appraisal is in development and publication is expected in spring 2023.

Dental Services: Bristol West

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to NHS dental services in Bristol West constituency.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS dentist provision in Bristol West constituency.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Bristol West.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

NHS: Drugs

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to publish data comparing the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access repayments against leading European countries with similar access or rebate schemes in each year since 2015.

Robert Jenrick: We have no plans to do so.Prices paid for medicines internationally are generally confidential. It is therefore not possible to make an accurate comparison of the net price of medicines between the UK and other countries, with or without rebate rates.

NHS: Drugs

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make a comparative estimate of the annual savings that (a) unbranded generic, (b) branded generic and (c) biosimilar medicines have contributed to the NHS drug bill compared to branded prices had those medicines not been available for each year since 2012 for which data is available.

Robert Jenrick: The current Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access expenditure forecast assumes that average spend at patent expiry will decrease by 70% for a non-biologic medicine or 45% for a biologic medicine. The Secretary of State has also commissioned further policy advice on this matter. These assumptions will be reviewed ahead of the negotiation of a new Scheme.

General Practitioners: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of GP appointments conducted face-to-face in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) 2013.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Ellesmere Port and Neston. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances. The information requested on general practice appointments data is not collected in the format requested. However, in the 12 months to August 2022, 60.2% of the appointments in the Cheshire and Merseyside area were conducted face-to-face, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations.

Midwives: Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituency.

Robert Jenrick: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However,while recruitment and retention is undertaken at individual trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing.

Protective Clothing: Storage

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the monthly cost to the public purse is for storing surplus personal protective equipment in (a) the UK and (b) China; and what proportion of that equipment has been deemed unusable in a healthcare setting.

Robert Jenrick: The Department estimates that the monthly cost of storing surplus personal protective equipment is £7.5 million. While information is collected on storage costs in the United Kingdom and China, a centrally validated estimate for costs in each location is not currently held. As at 26 September 2022, the Department held 1.12 billion items deemed not fit for any purpose.

Malnutrition: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of malnutrition in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made.

Dental Services: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to NHS dental services in Leeds North West constituency.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS dentist provision in Leeds North West constituency.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices are currently rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Leeds North West constituency.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Leeds North West.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not currently rate providers of primary dental care services. The CQC publishes an assessment against five ‘key aspects’ which determine whether a dental provider is meeting its regulatory requirements. These are: - Treating people with respect and involving them in their care;- Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs;- Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm;- Staffing; and- Quality and suitability of management. The CQC provides information for the public to find local dentists and profiles, which display the regulatory performance and inspection reports.

Coronavirus and Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the novavax vaccine during the vaccine rollout programme in autumn 2022.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the availability of AstraZeneca and Novovax Covid vaccines for people with severe allergies who cannot receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has plans to increase the availability of (a) AstraZeneca, (b) Novovax and (c) other alternatives to the Pfizer and Moderna covid-19 vaccines for people with severe allergies.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Government continues to be guided by the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines recommended by the JCVI for the autumn campaign are Moderna mRNA (Spikevax) bivalent. and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) bivalent. The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice that in exceptional circumstances the Novavax vaccine, Nuvaxovid, may be used when no other clinically suitable United Kingdom-approved COVID-19 vaccine alternative is available.

Health: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Health Inequalities Action Group report entitled On Faith, Place and Health: Harnessing the Power of Faith Groups to Tackle London’s Health Inequalities, published in October 2022, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of that report's findings; and if she will respond to that report's recommendations.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made.

Health Services: Learning Disability

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure NHS services are able to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what appropriate adjustments are being made by NHS services to help assist people with learning disabilities.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what appropriate adjustments are being made by NHS services to assist adult patients who cannot read.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of adjustments implemented in healthcare services for people with learning disabilities or those with difficulties reading.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of adjustments made by health services for people with learning disabilities.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made. Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. NHS England is working with NHS Digital to develop a ‘digital flag’ for reasonable adjustments in patient health records to ensure that National Health Service staff can tailor the support provided to the person’s specific needs. There are different categories of adjustments, including for communication support and requirements for accessible information. Since 2016, all NHS organisations are required to comply with the Accessible Information Standard. This includes making sure that people get information in accessible formats, which can include easy read formats.On 1 July 2022, we introduced a requirement for Care Quality Commission-registered providers to ensure that staff receive mandatory training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role.

Health Services: Females

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with NHS Digital since the publication of the Women’s Health Strategy on transforming women’s health content on the NHS website.

Dr Caroline Johnson: There have been no specific discussions.

Primodos

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will undertake an independent review of the 2017 Expert Working Group Report on Primodos.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will commission an independent review of the report by the Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines on Hormone Pregnancy Tests, published on 15 November 2017.

Dr Caroline Johnson: We have no plans to do so.

Mental Health Services: Dulwich and West Norwood

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support young people with eating disorders in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: In September we announced ‘Our Plan for Patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health and eating disorder services, including in Dulwich and West Norwood. Making it easier to access general practice through our ABCD priorities will expand this route as a gateway to mental health care.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand these services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Dulwich and West Norwood.We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.

Mental Health Services: Wirral South

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Wirral South constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: In September we announced ‘Our Plan for Patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health services, including in Wirral South. Making it easier to access general practice through our ABCD priorities will expand this route as a gateway to mental health care.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand these services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Wirral South.

Midwives: Recruitment

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to take steps to (a) increase the number of midwives recruited into the NHS and (b) help ensure that NHS midwives feel valued, in order to increase retention.

Robert Jenrick: NHS England retain oversight of local workforce plans and are updated on vacancy rates. The Heads of Midwifery and other senior maternity staff meet weekly to discuss staffing and how units are managing. Day-to-day recruitment and retention is carried out at Trust level.To increase the maternity workforce, in 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested by NHS England into the maternity system to go towards the maternity National Health Service (NHS) workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Knowsley. This is on top of the £95 million invested in 2021, to fund the establishment of posts for 1,200 more midwives and 100 more consultant obstetricians.The NHS People Plan has been developed to focus on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. £45 million has been invested in 2022/23 to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs across the country, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Health Professions: Ukraine

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with relevant professional bodies on recognition of Ukrainian professional qualifications in the UK’s health and social care sector.

Robert Jenrick: There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the relevant professional bodies on recognition of Ukrainian professional qualifications in the United Kingdom’s (UK) health and social care sector. Healthcare professional regulators, who set and enforce the standards that regulate healthcare professionals, are independent of government and directly accountable to Parliament.The Government knows there are high-skilled Ukrainians in the UK who would be an asset to our outstanding National Health Service. Therefore, Government provided advice in Welcome Packs, given to all Homes for Ukraine arrivals, on how to obtain an international qualification recognised within the UK. This can be found at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1100294/Ukraine_Welcome_Guide.pdfIn addition, guidance has been produced in Ukrainian, Russian and English on gaining accreditation for medical professionals. This guidance will be published on GOV.UK in the coming weeks.

Dyslexia: Health Services

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with the Department of Education on the potential merits of providing NHS support available to people with dyslexia; and whether she plans to bring forward proposal to help more adults get tested for dyslexia.

Dr Caroline Johnson: Ministers regularly discuss a range of issues with Cabinet colleagues. There are no plans to take forward proposals to increase dyslexia testing for adults.The ‘SEND review: right support, right place, right time’ green paper was published on 29 March 2022 for consultation. It includes proposals to improve earlier intervention for children and young people with special educational needs and disability.

Mental Health Services: Bootle

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Bootle constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: In September we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health services, including in Bootle. Improved access to general practice will expand routes into mental health care, as demonstrated through the A, B, C, D priorities.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand NHS mental health and eating disorder services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Bootle.

HIV Infection: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in each of the last five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: West Ham

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the demand for mental health services among (a) young people in West Ham and (b) young people trying to exit gangs in West Ham; and what assessment she has made of whether that demand is being met.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made.

Tourette's Syndrome: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure that specialist medical services for Tourette's syndrome are accessible to people in the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council area.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The majority of services for people with Tourette’s syndrome are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs), including in Barnsley. ICBs are responsible for providing a comprehensive health service to their populations subject to local prioritisation and funding. This includes ensuring there is appropriate access to specialist medical services for people with Tourette’s syndrome.

NHS: ICT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2022 to Question 151099 on Health Services: ICT, when each provider of digital services used by NHS organisations to deliver patient-facing services became Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) compliant.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Answer of 21 April 2022 to Question 151099 on Health Services: ICT, whether her Department holds the names of any providers of patient-facing digital services used by NHS organisations that are not DTAC compliant.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2022 to Question 151099 on Health Services: ICT, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure that providers of digital services used by NHS organisations to deliver patient-facing services are Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) compliant.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested is not held centrally. However, following analysis of the recently launched NHS Digital Health Technology Standards Audit, we will work with relevant stakeholders to deliver guidance for National Health Service organisations and suppliers to ensure that any non-compliance is resolved and all digital health products used are fit for purpose. NHS England is working with existing providers of non-compliant products to ensure this is achieved as soon as possible.

Care Homes: Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituency since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: Since 2010, seven nursing homes and 30 residential homes in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport have been ‘deactivated’. The Care Quality Commission records care homes which have closed as ‘deactivated’. The ‘deactivated’ locations exclude care homes where the provider continues to operate under a new, separate registration. This could be due to a legal entity change or a change in the provider.

Evusheld

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the decision not to procure Evusheld for people vulnerable to Covid-19 this winter.

Robert Jenrick: The decision not to procure Evusheld at this time for prevention through emergency routes is based on independent clinical advice by the multi-agency RAPID C-19 and a national expert policy working group. The decision is based on a range of evidence, including clinical trial data, in vitro analysis and emerging observational studies. RAPID C-19 monitors activity in clinical trials for emerging evidence and where treatments are proven to be clinically effective to enable access for National Health Service patients. The Chief Medical Officer for England is content that the correct process for providing clinical advice has been followed and it has now been referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for further evaluation.

Mental Health Services: Worsley and Eccles South

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support young people with eating disorders in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: In September we announced ‘Our Plan for Patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health and eating disorder services, including in Worsley and Eccles South. Making it easier to access general practice through our ABCD priorities will expand this route as a gateway to mental health care.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand these services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Worsley and Eccles South.We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.

Food Poverty

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October to Question 62043 on Malnutrition: Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of the data on household food security collected as part of the Department of Work and Pensions annual Family Resources Survey.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made.

NHS: Bermondsey and Old Southwark

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Leeds North West constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention, including in Bermondsey and Old Southwark, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Leeds North West and Dulwich and West Norwood.

Black Country Integrated Care System: Labour Turnover

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of local retention initiatives in the Black Country Integrated Care System area.

Robert Jenrick: No specific assessment has been made. However, the NHS People Plan sets out a range of actions to improve staff retention through strengthening measures to address health and wellbeing, equality and diversity, culture and leadership and flexible working. NHS England also support systems to develop tailored health and wellbeing offers to meet the needs of the local workforce. This includes the mental health hubs in each integrated care system (ICS) and occupational health services which are being supported through the Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing programme.The Black Country ICS is implementing national retention initiatives in addition to a dedicated pensions portal and collaboration with organisations such as Timewise to support flexible working within clinical areas. Targeted assessments of the general practitioner workforce are made and reported via a monthly partnership board.

Mental Health Services: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Walsall South constituency.

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support young people with eating disorders in Walsall South constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: In September we announced ‘Our Plan for Patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health and eating disorder services, including in Walsall South. Making it easier to access general practice through our ABCD priorities will expand this route as a gateway to mental health care.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand these services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Walsall South.We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.

Smoking

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her timeline is for the publication of her Department's response to the Khan Review.

Dr Caroline Johnson: We are currently considering the recommendations made in ‘The Khan review: making smoking obsolete’ and further information will be available in due course.

Health Professions: Mental Health Services

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) private and (b) NHS mental health practitioners by Clinical Commissioning Groups in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2021.

Dr Caroline Johnson: Data on the number of private mental health professionals working in clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) is not collected. Data on the National Health Service mental health workforce is not held in the format requested. A table showing the number of full time equivalent staff in the NHS mental health workforce by region and integrated care system (ICS) as at June 2019, June 2020, June 2021 and June 2022 is attached. ICSs replaced CCGs from July 2022. NHS trusts can provide services across multiple ICSs. Therefore in some instances the data presented may show where trusts have been assigned to a lead ICS.NHS mental health workforce by ICS area (xlsx, 24.4KB)

HIV Infection: Health Services

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to ensure that HIV peer support is included in the new specification for HIV services in England.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The specification for Specialised HIV Services for adults is in the process of being updated. Any revisions to the specification will be made according to the process set out in ‘Methods: National Service Specifications’, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/methods-national-service-specifications/

Abortion: Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have been (a) hospitalised, or (b) required ambulance care following use of at-home abortion pills.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the number of Clinical Commission Group areas that have (a) paused and (b) suspended non-urgent CAMHS referrals in each of the last five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No assessment has been made as this information is not collected centrally.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for sexual health services.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No recent assessment has been made. We have mandated local authorities in England to commission comprehensive open access sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including free and confidential HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, condoms, the HIV prevention drug pre-exposure prophylaxis, vaccination and contraception advice, through the Public Health Grant. It is for local authorities to determine spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, including the need for SRH services.We have allocated more than £3.4 billion to local authorities in England to fund public health services in 2022/23, including SRH services.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the progress of the rollout of booster jabs for covid-19.

Dr Caroline Johnson: As of 5 October 2022, over 33 million people in England had received a third primary dose or first booster dose. The deployment of the autumn booster vaccination campaign commenced on 5 September 2022. As of 11 October 2022, NHS England had delivered over 6.9 million autumn booster doses. As of 5 October, the UK Health Security Agency reports that over 38% of the total population in England aged 65 years old and over had received an autumn booster dose.

Maternity Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mother and baby respite homes to help lower levels of maternal suicide.

Dr Caroline Johnson: We have no plans to make a specific assessment. However, we are expanding perinatal mental health services in England to include new mental health ‘hubs’ for new, expectant or bereaved mothers. This includes 33 new maternal mental health services, which provide psychological therapy, maternity services and reproductive health for women who have mental health needs following trauma or loss related to their maternity experience. These will be available in England by March 2024.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children who were aged (a) 5-11, (b) 12-15, (c) 16-17 years old; at the start of the 2021-22 academic year had received (i) one dose, (ii) two doses and (iii) three or more doses of a covid-19 vaccination as at 1 October 2022; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The following table shows doses administered by the age groups requested as of 1 October 2022 Age groupFirst doses administeredSecond doses administeredThree or more doses administered5 to 11 years old557,221288,36097412 to 15 years old1,516,7361,126,86425,70816 to 17 years old903,910714,702192,913 Source: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations?areaType=nation%26areaName=England#card-vaccination_uptake_by_vaccination_date_age_demographics

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Shortages

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to resolve shortages of Hormone Replacement Therapy products.

Dr Caroline Johnson: There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products available in the United Kingdom and while most remain in good supply, a range of factors has led to supply issues with a limited number of products.We have been working with suppliers and other stakeholders such as the National Health Service and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to maintain overall HRT supply, including expediting resupply dates of the disrupted products. We have continued to engage with suppliers, wholesalers and community pharmacists to discuss any challenges and ensure that supply meets demand. We are encouraged by suppliers’ plans to further build capacity such as a new production facility for Oestrogel and plans to introduce new products to the UK.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an estimate of the numbers of primary schools in (a) Stockport constituency (b) Stockport borough and (c) Greater Manchester taking part in the Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The information requested is shown in the following table.Stockport constituency40 schoolsStockport borough84 schoolsGreater Manchester872 schools

Care Homes: Reading East

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of care homes in Reading East constituency held a Care Quality Commission rating of good or above on 12 October 2022.

Neil O'Brien: As at 12 October 2022, 14 or 82.4% of care homes in the Reading East constituency are rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ overall.

Miscarriage

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the pregnancy loss certificate will be introduced in England; and whether this certificate will be offered retrospectively to parents who have experienced a loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The pregnancy loss certificates are currently being developed with NHS Business Services Authority and we hope to confirm a date for introduction in due course. The pregnancy loss certificates will be offered retrospectively to parents who have experienced a pre-24 weeks pregnancy loss. The introduction of pregnancy loss certificates in England will allow a non-statutory, voluntary scheme to enable parents who have experienced a pre-24 weeks pregnancy loss to record and receive a certificate to provide recognition of their baby’s potential life.

Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures: Licensing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress her Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the licensing requirements for cosmetic procedures.

Dr Caroline Johnson: Officials are considering how a future licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England might be implemented. Any future licensing requirements would be subject to stakeholder engagement and public consultation to inform the scope and details of the scheme. No timetable for implementation has yet been determined.

Health: Females

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the General Medical Council since the publication of the Women’s Health Strategy on introducing specific assessments on women’s health for medical students.

Dr Caroline Johnson: There have been no specific discussions. The General Medical Council will introduce the Medical Licensing Assessment for the majority of incoming doctors, including all medical students graduating from the 2024/25 academic year. Within this Assessment, there are a number of topics relating to women’s health.

Perinatal Mortality: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Chesterfield constituency.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Liverpool Wavertree constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made. The national maternity safety ambition aims to halve the 2010 rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries in babies occurring during or soon after birth, by 2025.Since 2010, the rate of stillbirths has reduced by 19.3% and the rate of neonatal mortality for babies born over 24 weeks gestational age of viability has reduced by 36% and maternal mortality has reduced by 17%. We have introduced targeted interventions to accelerate progress, such as the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle and the Brain Injury Reduction Programme.NHS England has also invested £127 million into the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care. This is in addition to the investment of £95 million made in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. NHS England is offering funding and support to trusts to recruit an additional 300 to 500 overseas midwives in the next 12 months.

Eating Disorders: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support young people with eating disorders in the Easington constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: In September we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health and eating disorder services, including in Easington. Improved access to general practice will expand routes into mental health care, as demonstrated through the A, B, C, D priorities. Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand NHS mental health and eating disorder services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Easington.We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness. including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.

Health Services: Females

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many existing pages on women’s health conditions on the NHS website have been updated to contain the most up to date evidence and advice since the publication of the Women’s Health Strategy.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish a list of each NHS website page that has a women’s health condition on it and the date that each of those webpages were last updated with new medical advice and information.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Life Expectancy: Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituency.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made. ‘Our plan for patients’, published on 22 September, sets out the immediate priorities to support individuals to live healthier lives, including improving access to health and care services in all areas and preventing ill-health. Further information on measures to address health disparities will be available in due course.

Care Quality Commission: Regulation

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish an outline of the proposed changes to the Care Quality Commission’s regulatory model.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has assessed the effectiveness of the ongoing changes to the regulatory model being made by the Care Quality Commission.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings her officials have held with the Care Quality Commission to discuss ongoing changes to their regulatory model.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings her Department has had with representatives of the Care Quality Commission on changes to its regulatory model.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to help ensure that staff at the Care Quality Commission are able to comment on the safety implications of proposed changes to its regulatory approach.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that whistle-blowers are protected within the Care Quality Commission.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to adopt a risk-based data-led approach to inspections by the Care Quality Commission.

Neil O'Brien: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) launched its strategy in May 2021 to ensure that its regulation is relevant to the way care is now delivered and to be more flexible and effective at managing risk and uncertainty. The CQC is developing a single assessment framework for its judgements on quality to gather relevant data and use innovative analysis techniques and professional judgement to support regular and consistent decision-making. In addition, the CQC will use new duties under the Health and Care Act 2022 to assess each local integrated care system (ICS) and whether local authorities are delivering the duties under the Care Act 2014. The single assessment framework aims to ensure an integrated approach to regulation across providers, ICSs and local authorities.The CQC has engaged with trade unions and staff on the proposed changes since June 2021 and is discussing plans to support staff through the transition period. The Department holds quarterly accountability meetings with the CQC and officials have held further meetings with the CQC where the regulatory model has been discussed. The CQC is reviewing further improvements to respond to feedback received, including from its staff and consulting with internal and external stakeholders on the Terms of Reference for this review. The CQC will publish the conclusions of this review in due course.

Prisoners: Palliative Care

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that every prison in England is (a) aware of the Dying Well in Custody Charter and (b) uses the Charter to improve the palliative and end of life care their prisoners receive.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessments have been made.However, the ‘National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare in England 2018 – 2021’ has supported the implementation of the Dying Well in Custody Charter in the English estate. The National Partnership Agreement's workplan sets out how NHS England and HM Prison and Probation Service can continue improvements to health and social care outcomes for older people and those with serious illnesses, including palliative and end of life care. A revised workplan for 2022 to 2025 is currently being developed.NHS England is convening a joint working group with HM Prison and Probation Service to conduct a review of current progress in delivering the Dying Well in Custody Charter workplan. This group will also consider opportunities to develop networks and forums for sharing good practice. The Ministry of Justice will publish the Aging Prison Population Strategy in due course and how the Dying Well in Custody Charter will be embedded within prisons.

Prisoners: Palliative Care

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the consistency of provision of palliative and end of life care across the prison estate.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessments have been made.However, the ‘National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare in England 2018 – 2021’ has supported the implementation of the Dying Well in Custody Charter in the English estate. The National Partnership Agreement's workplan sets out how NHS England and HM Prison and Probation Service can continue improvements to health and social care outcomes for older people and those with serious illnesses, including palliative and end of life care. A revised workplan for 2022 to 2025 is currently being developed.NHS England is convening a joint working group with HM Prison and Probation Service to conduct a review of current progress in delivering the Dying Well in Custody Charter workplan. This group will also consider opportunities to develop networks and forums for sharing good practice. The Ministry of Justice will publish the Aging Prison Population Strategy in due course and how the Dying Well in Custody Charter will be embedded within prisons.

Prisoners: Palliative Care

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment she has made of the (a) access to and (b) quality of palliative and end of life care in (i) prisons and (ii) the community.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessments have been made.However, the ‘National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare in England 2018 – 2021’ has supported the implementation of the Dying Well in Custody Charter in the English estate. The National Partnership Agreement's workplan sets out how NHS England and HM Prison and Probation Service can continue improvements to health and social care outcomes for older people and those with serious illnesses, including palliative and end of life care. A revised workplan for 2022 to 2025 is currently being developed.NHS England is convening a joint working group with HM Prison and Probation Service to conduct a review of current progress in delivering the Dying Well in Custody Charter workplan. This group will also consider opportunities to develop networks and forums for sharing good practice. The Ministry of Justice will publish the Aging Prison Population Strategy in due course and how the Dying Well in Custody Charter will be embedded within prisons.

Neurology: Children

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to reduce waiting times for children's neurodevelopmental assessments.

Dr Caroline Johnson: Integrated care boards are expected to have regard to the relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when commissioning services, including assessments for children with neurodevelopmental conditions. In 2021/22, we invested £13 million through the NHS Long Term Plan and COVID-19 Mental Health Recovery Plan to reduce waiting times for autism diagnoses. This included £10.5 million to enable local systems to test different diagnostic pathways, explore ways to reduce waiting times and address backlogs caused by the pandemic and £2.5 million has been allocated to test and implement ways to reduce waiting times for children and young people in 2022/23. NHS England is developing a national framework for how children, young people and adults should receive an autism diagnosis to improve the quality of diagnostic processes and reduce waiting times. In addition, we have invested £600,000 to expand a pilot to improve early identification of autism and other neurodiverse conditions to at least 100 schools.. NHS England is working with local authorities’ children’s social care, education services and expert charities to support neurodivergent children, including children with ADHD, through the assessment and diagnostic process.

Autism and Hyperactivity: Diagnosis

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the waiting list for individuals seeking to obtain a diagnosis for (a) autism and (b) ADHD.

Gillian Keegan: In 2021/22 we invested £13 million to reduce autism diagnosis waiting times. This included £10.5 million to enable local systems to test different diagnostic pathways, explore ways to reduce waiting times and address backlogs caused by the pandemic. We invested £2.5 million in 2022/23 to test and implement methods of reducing waiting times for children and young people. In addition, we are working with local authority children’s social care, education services and charities to support neurodivergent children, including children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and their families, through the diagnostic process.

Wales Office

Energy: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Welsh Local Government’s report that higher energy bills could means that councils across Wales have £200 million less to spend than in 2023-24.

Sir Robert Buckland: We understand the pressure that businesses, charities, and public sector organisations are facing with their energy bills, which is why the UK Government is taking immediate action to ensure customers are protected over the winter period. Through the new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the Government will provide a discount on energy prices for local authorities whose bills have been significantly inflated by the global energy crisis. A Treasury-led review will be launched to inform a decision on future support after March 2023. Local Government Finance in Wales is devolved and is a matter for the Welsh Government. The Spending Review 2021 set the largest annual block grant, in real terms, of any spending review settlement since devolution.  Over the Spending Review period, the UK government is providing the Welsh Government with 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Solar Power

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 59682 on Department for Education: Solar Power, when the feasibility study to determine whether photovoltaic panels can be installed in his Department's London office began; when he expects that study to complete; and if he will place a copy of the study's findings in the House of Commons Library.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 59682 on Department for Education: Solar Power, when works began to repair and update the photovoltaic panels at his Department's office in Darlington; how much those works are expected to cost; and when he expects them to complete.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 59682 on Department for Education: Solar Power, when works began to repair and update the photovoltaic panels at his Department's office in Sheffield; how much those works are expected to cost; and when he expects them to complete.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October to Question 59682 on Department for Education: Solar Power, when his Department first became aware that the photovoltaic panels at the offices in (a) Sheffield and (b) Darlington were not working.

Jonathan Gullis: For the London office, the initial first phase feasibility study was conducted on 12 August 2022. The second phase feasibility study is being undertaken by a specialist photovoltaic project team the date of which is not yet confirmed. Government Property Agency, as building asset managers, have stated it is not procedure for a copy to be placed in the House of Commons library.In relation to Darlington, the Department has submitted a proposal for parts replacement and repair and are awaiting costs. For Sheffield an upgrade is required and is being costed. It is expected that for both Darlington and Sheffield works will be completed utilising net zero funding in the 2022/23 financial year.The facilities management teams at (a) Sheffield St Pauls Place and (b) Darlington Bishopsgate House periodically undertake checks to all plant equipment. The breakdown of equipment was highlighted at the end of financial year 2021/22 subsequently funding routes are being explored to repair or upgrade these photovoltaic panels.

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the expected annual (a) resource and (b) capital expenditure will be on the Major Projects Portfolio projects entitled (i) Initial Teacher Training Market Review, (ii) Institutes of Technology 2, (iii) Skills Bootcamps and Free Courses for Jobs, (iv) Schools Commercial, (v) National Tutoring programme, (vi) T-Level Programme, (vii) Priority School Building Programme 2, (viii) Evolve, (ix) Teacher Development Reform Programme, (x) School Rebuilding Programme and (xi) FE Capital Transformation in each financial year of those projects; and if he will place that information in the House of Commons Library.

Jonathan Gullis: The Department has published Whole Life Cost figures for the following Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) projects:(i) Initial Teacher Training Market Review, (iv) Schools Commercial, (vi) T-Level Programme, (vii) Priority School Building Programme 2, (viii) Evolve, (ix) Teacher Development Reform Programme.Each Government Department is required, as part of the Cabinet Office transparency mandate, to publish this data as part of the Senior Responsible Owner Appointment Letter.Publications can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfe-major-projects-appointment-letters-for-senior-responsible-owners.The Department is providing a Whole Life Cost picture which is not aligned to financial years expenditure. The Department publishes our annual expected expenditure for each Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) that supports the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) annual report.An excel table of financial information (whole life cost, annual budget and forecast spend) is attached.The following Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) projects:(ii) Institutes of Technology 2, (iii) Skills Bootcamps and Free Courses for Jobs, (v) National Tutoring programme have not published this information as part of this requirement but are going through the process.The following Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) projects:(x) School Rebuilding Programme and (xi) FE Capital Transformation are currently exempt under freedom of information. 67886 Table (xlsx, 24.7KB)

Students: Housing

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of student accommodation in England.

Andrea Jenkyns: Higher education and private accommodation providers are autonomous. The department plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation, whether the accommodation is managed by universities or private sector organisations.Neither the Department for Education nor the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities have made an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of student accommodation in England. It is for local areas, through their Local Plans and in response to local needs and concerns, to determine the level of student accommodation required in their area.

Higher Education: Fraud

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of fraud in partnerships between higher education institutions and institutions that deliver higher education courses.

Andrea Jenkyns: The department works closely with the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the Office for Students (OfS) to identify potential fraud within the higher education sector, including within OfS registered institutions and their partner institutions. The OfS is committed to carrying out their regulatory work in this area, including exchanging intelligence with the SLC about individual providers that may be drawing down public funding for students who are not genuinely committed to their course. OfS is keeping the department informed of this activity, and we will work closely with them should any issues be raised.

Podiatry: Apprentices

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage school leavers to apply for podiatrist apprenticeship qualifications at University.

Andrea Jenkyns: Since its introduction in the 2019/20 academic year there has been an increase in starts on the level 7 podiatrist (integrated degree) apprenticeship standard, from 10 starts in the 2019/20 academic year to 40 in the 2021/22 academic year. Five universities offer this apprenticeship.The department is delivering £8 million of Strategic Priorities Grant funding via the Office for Students to support providers to expand their existing degree apprenticeship offers or develop new ones. Where providers identify employer demand, including for the level 7 podiatry apprenticeship, they can use this funding to develop a new offer.Our Apprenticeship Support & Knowledge (ASK) programme in schools works to ensure that students are aware of the benefits of apprenticeships at all levels. Between the 2016/17 and 2021/22 academic years the ASK programme has reached over 2.7 million students. To build on this we have developed an offer for young people in further education colleges to encourage progression onto apprenticeships and are working closely with UCAS to showcase apprenticeships along with other routes.Alongside this, our Get the Jump campaign is targeting young people, aged 16-19, to ensure they are aware of all their options, including apprenticeships.

BTEC Qualifications: Disadvantaged

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of BTEC qualifications in widening professional and educational opportunities available to disadvantaged students.

Andrea Jenkyns: As part of the post-16 qualifications review, the department has considered the available evidence about outcomes for students who have taken BTECs and other Applied General qualifications (AGQs), which many students from disadvantaged backgrounds take.The evidence suggests that after taking into account a student’s background characteristics and prior attainment, those who followed an A level-only route generally experience better outcomes in terms of attainment and future employment impacts. Considering access to higher education (HE) and reformed AGQs, the department found that across different prior attainment bandings, students with A levels were consistently more likely to enter HE than those just holding AGQs. For those with the lowest prior attainment, mixed A level and AGQ programmes were slightly more likely to lead to HE than those with a study programme consisting only of A levels.The department will continue to fund some alternative level 3 qualifications including BTECs where they do not overlap with A levels or T Levels, and where they meet the new quality criteria being implemented as part of the funding approval process for 2025 and beyond. Details of this will be published in due course. Qualifications such as BTECs will continue to play an important role for 16-to-19-year-olds and adults. This includes students taking these qualifications in mixed programmes alongside A levels, or as an alternative programme in areas that may be less well-served by A levels or T Levels.The updated impact assessment published alongside the response to the second-stage consultation looked at the potential impact of the review on students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3-in-england.

Designated Quality Body in England

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of the QAA decision of 20 July that it will no longer consent to be the Designated Quality Body in England after 31 March 2023, if he will make an assessment of how effectively the provisions in section 25 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 can be implemented after 31 March 2023.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the (a) capacity and (b) expertise of the Office for Students to perform (i) quality and standards, (ii) degree awarding powers and (iii) external quality assurance of end point assessments for degree apprenticeships.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he will consult with the education sector on the de-designation of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education; and when he will announce the decision to de-designate it.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of the QAA decision of 20 July that it will no longer consent to be the Designated Quality Body (DQB) in England after 31 March 2023, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of (a) that decision and (b) concerns raised by the QAA on compliance with standard international practice for quality bodies.

Andrea Jenkyns: The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has confirmed that it wishes to step down from the Designated Quality Body role at the end of March 2023. Arrangements for consulting the sector on the de-designation of the QAA will be confirmed imminently.On 14 October 2022, the Office for Students (OfS) published an update on arrangements for assessing quality and standards from 1 April 2023.This update confirmed that the OfS will undertake a number of assessment activities that are currently delivered by the QAA on an interim basis from 1 April 2023. These include quality and standards reviews for providers seeking OfS registration, standards assessments for the purpose of assessing initial condition B8 of the OfS regulatory framework, and assessments for degree awarding powers.The department has been working closely with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and the OfS on plans to deliver external quality assurance of end-point assessments for integrated and higher degree apprenticeships.The department is also working closely with the OfS on ensuring these responsibilities are fulfilled effectively, and that they will continue to ensure the world-class standard of our higher education institutions is maintained.The Secretary of State for Education will receive advice from officials and the OfS on permanent arrangements for the assessment of quality and standards. There are currently a number of options for future designation arrangements under consideration.

Students: Cost of Living

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has conducted an equalities analysis of the potential impact of the rising cost of living on students.

Andrea Jenkyns: The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and impacted students.To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help, the department confirmed in guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.In addition, all households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Bill, introduced on 12 October, includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this legislation will be set out in regulations.As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.Decisions on student support are taken on an annual basis. Maximum loans for living costs and grants have been increased by 2.3% this 2022/23 academic year. The government is reviewing options for uprating maximum loans and grants for the 2023/24 academic year, and an announcement will follow in the autumn.Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.In addition, maximum tuition fees and the subsidised loans available from government to pay them remain at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year in respect of standard full-time courses.The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. As well as reducing debt levels for students, the continued fee freeze will help to ensure that the higher education system remains sustainable, while also promoting greater efficiency at providers.

Children in Care

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were in local authority care in each of the last five years.

Kelly Tolhurst: The number of children in local authority care is published annually. The latest information on the numbers of children in local authority care in each year between 1994 and 2021 is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/119f2f49-9f37-43cd-91fe-b6c0b2ffc723.Information for the 2022 reporting year will be published in November 2022.

Childcare: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of childcare provision in Easington constituency.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare nationally. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data currently shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable at 1.3 million places since August 2015.Officials from the department also discuss sufficiency of provision in regular conversations with local authorities. Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring sufficient childcare places in their area. The department has not been made aware by any local authority of any current sufficiency problem. Durham Council, which holds the statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare in Easington, is not reporting that these closures will affect their ability to fulfil this duty.According to findings from the 2021 childcare and early years providers survey, 7 in 10 group-based providers reported having spare places in their full day provision and 49% of childminders reported having spare capacity on average across the week.

Pre-school Education: Training

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to develop of new early years training routes to support workforce development and retention in early years education and childcare.

Kelly Tolhurst: As part of work to support recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department has announced up to £180 million in programmes to support workforce development, including increasing the number of places available for early years initial teacher training. Training for up to 5,000 special educational needs coordinators is also part of the development programmesThe department is also developing new early years training routes. Employer trailblazer groups have developed level 2 and 3 apprenticeships, and in August 2021, we launched a level 5 apprenticeshipFree level 3 early years qualifications are available through the Lifetime Skills Guarantee for adults without a level 3 or higher qualification. From April 2022, eligibility was expanded to include adults who are unemployed or earning below the National Living Wage annually, or £18,525, regardless of any other qualifications held.

Children: Poverty

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of in-work poverty on educational attainment in children.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department considers the attainment of disadvantaged pupils relative to non-disadvantaged pupils using the disadvantage gap index.The disadvantage gap index is a measure of the difference in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and all other pupils. It considers disadvantaged pupils as any pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in the last six years, looked-after children, and previously looked-after children.In England, key stage 2 and key stage 4 (KS4) data is analysed to show the disadvantage gap. Latest key stage 2 data shows that the primary school attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has grown between 2019 and 2022, having narrowed over the previous 8 years. Latest KS4 data shows that the disadvantage gap index has widened since 2021 to 3.84, the highest level since 2011/12. The disruption to the nation’s children and young people caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected disadvantaged students more than their peers.The department is committed to helping these pupils to recover and close the attainment gap. That is why our recovery programmes, such as the recovery premium, the National Tutoring Programme, and 16-19 tuition fund, are especially focused on helping the most disadvantaged.In addition to this, the pupil premium has increased to more than £2.6 billion this year, with per pupil funding rates increasing by 2.7%. This is the highest ever in cash terms.

Childcare: Lewisham East

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an estimate of the sufficiency of childcare provision in Lewisham East constituency.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data currently shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable at 1.3 million places since August 2015.Officials from the department also discuss sufficiency of provision in regular conversations with local authorities. Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring sufficient childcare places in their area. The department has not been made aware by local authorities of any current sufficiency problem in Lewisham East Council, which holds the statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare in this borough.

Special Educational Needs: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many requests for education, health and care plans were (a) made by parents and (b) signed off by Lancashire County Council for students in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in the last 12 months.

Kelly Tolhurst: The requested information is not held by the department.Data on the number of requests for education, health and care (EHC) plans and the number of plans issued is collected by local authorities only, and does not include breakdowns relating to whom made the request.The number of initial requests for an EHC plan and the number issued in Lancashire County Council can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/6ac81db3-d5d3-4258-2be7-08dab0fa305d.

Childcare: Safety

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the consultation on Childcare: regulatory changes published on 4 July 2022, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increasing childcare ratios on safety of children; and when he expects to announce the result of that consultation.

Kelly Tolhurst: The consultation on ‘Childcare: regulatory changes’ closed on 16 September, and the department will respond in due course. Responses from this consultation will help to build the evidence base, including understanding more around the potential effect of safeguarding in the event that department guidelines are changed.Alongside the consultation the department ran a survey of early years providers to establish the likely impact of the changes on providers. This survey will be published in due course.The department’s priority continues to be to provide safe, high-quality early years provision for our youngest children.

Free School Meals: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government has made an assessment on the potential benefits of the provision of free school meals to all primary aged children in Stockport constituency.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department does not have plans to assess the effects of changing the current eligibility conditions for free school meals (FSM) in primary schools. However, the department will continue to keep eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the department believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of pupils are now provided with FSM.

National Union of Teachers

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had recent discussions with the National Union of Teachers on proposals in the Schools Bill and their potential effect on the membership of that union.

Jonathan Gullis: The aims of the measures in the Schools Bill are to deliver a stronger and fairer school system that works for every child and to deliver essential safeguarding measures to ensure that more children receive a suitable and safe education. We have had extensive engagement on the provisions in the Schools Bill with many representative bodies and unions, including the National Education Union (NEU). NEU was formed from the amalgamation of the National Union of Teachers and Association of Teachers and Lecturers in 2017.

Nurseries: Derby North

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Derby North constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Stroud constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Warrington South constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Truro and Falmouth constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Bury North constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Gedling constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Hastings and Rye constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Watford constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Milton Keynes South constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries have closed in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency since 2010; and what proportion of those nurseries were (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) not-for-profit nurseries and (c) for profit nurseries.

Kelly Tolhurst: This is matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Children's Centres and Family Hubs: Derby North

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Derby North constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Stroud constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Warrington South constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Truro and Falmouth constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Bury North constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Gedling constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Hastings & Rye constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Watford constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Milton Keynes South constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Leigh constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Hartlepool constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Dover constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Ipswich constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the York Outer constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Plymouth Moor View constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Peterborough constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Hendon constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the Norwich North constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in South Swindon constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in Chingford and Woodford Green constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in Burnley constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in Erewash constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in Shipley constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in Bassetlaw constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in Southampton Itchen constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in West Lancashire constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Kelly Tolhurst: Based on the information supplied by local authorities, as of 20 October 2022[1], the attached spreadsheet provides details of the number of Sure Start children’s centre closures reported in the relevant constituencies since 2010.In October 2021, as part of the Autumn Budget, the government announced £301.75 million to transform Start for Life and Family Hub services in 75 upper-tier local authorities across England. The 75 eligible local authorities were announced on the 2 April 2022. These were selected based on levels of disadvantage, targeting the areas with the highest levels of deprivation and disproportionately poor health and educational outcomes. Information on the names of selected local authorities can be foundhere: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1065255%2FFamily_Hubs_and_Start_for_Life_Package_-_Transparency_Data.ods&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK. An additional 12 local authorities will be receiving funding through the Family Hubs Transformation Fund.On 23 May 2022, the department announced the first wave of seven successful local authorities. The second wave of five local authorities will be announced in due course. The attached spreadsheet indicates which constituencies are eligible to receive funding either through the Family Hubs and Start for Life package or the first wave of the Family Hubs Transformation Fund.The department is in the process of signing local authorities up to this programme and funding allocations for individual local authorities delivering the programme will be published once the programme’s sign-up process has been completed. For the Family Hubs Transformation Fund programme, local authorities were invited to bid for up to £1 million in funding, with up to £833,000 for programme expenditure and up to £167,000 for capital expenditure. Funding will be awarded to the local authorities listed on the basis of their bid to the department.[1] The number of children’s centre closures is based on information supplied by local authorities as of 20 October 2022. These figures may differ from number of closures reported locally and may change again in future since local authorities may update their data at any time.Sure Start Closure (xls, 56.0KB)

Special Educational Needs: Employment

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to publish a specialist SEND workforce strategy.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to increase the number of full qualified teachers of the deaf as part of the planned national SEND and Alternative Provision implementation strategy.

Kelly Tolhurst: I refer the hon. Member for Weaver Vale to the answer I gave on 24 October 2022 to Question 61085.

Department for Education: Railways

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department spent on first class train travel for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in (i) 2020, (i) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Jonathan Gullis: The Department is not able to separate data for ministers and civil servants. Therefore, this data covers all Department and Departmental Arm’s Length Bodies colleagues.The Department spent the following on first class rail travel:2020 – £34,070.902021 – £13,344.252022 – £29,562.90.First class travel can be booked in exceptional circumstances if one or more of the following applies:where disability or reasons mean that suitable facilities in standard class would not otherwise be securedwhere there are good grounds for security concerns. For example, significant risk of unwarranted attention from the press or the publicwhen travelling with a Minister who is travelling first class, to carry out Government business in relative privacywhere the overall cost of the first class ticket is less than the overall cheapest ticket for standard class. If applicable, evidence of the relevant price comparisons, such as a screen shot from the booking page, must be kept for audit purposes.

Schools: Luton South

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent on improvements to school buildings in Luton South constituency in the period between 1 January 2022 and 31 March 2022.

Jonathan Gullis: The Department has allocated over £13 billion in condition funding since 2015 for improving the condition of school buildings, including £1.8 billion in the 2021/22 financial year.Schools and those responsible for school buildings receive condition funding through different routes depending upon their size and type. Local authorities, large academy trusts and large voluntary aided bodies receive school condition allocations (SCA) to invest in their schools. In addition, devolved formula capital (DFC) is allocated for individual schools and other eligible institutions to spend on capital projects that meet their own priorities.As investment of these allocations is determined at a local level, and many responsible bodies, such as large academy trusts, cut across local boundaries, it is not possible to break total spend down to constituency level. However, allocations of SCA and DFC for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20210701004626/https:/www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding#funding-allocations-for-the-2021-to-2022-financial-year.Schools not part of bodies eligible for SCA are instead eligible to bid to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). Annual bidding rounds for CIF are launched in the autumn and we announce the outcomes in the following spring. CIF funding is released in phased payments as work progresses. For CIF, we do not track monthly expenditure by constituency. We publish final CIF funding amounts on individual projects only once all projects in an annual round have completed, for commercial reasons.In addition to allocations, the School Rebuilding Programme will rebuild or refurbish buildings at 500 schools over the next decade. 161 schools have been confirmed to date and details, including contract values once available, are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-2022-to-2023-approved-schools.

Schools: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the capital cost of tackling outstanding repairs to schools in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Jonathan Gullis: The Department plans to publish modelled remediation costs to bring schools back into good condition based on data collected in the Condition Data Collection programme (CDC) by the end of the year. This will include total modelled remediation costs for the schools in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.The key, high-level findings of the CDC programme, were published in May 2021 and the findings can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.

Special Educational Needs: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) exclusions of SEN pupils and (b) total exclusions of students there were in schools in Stockport constituency in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Gullis: The table below shows the numbers or permanent exclusions and suspensions in total and by special educational needs provision, for Stockport constituency, in the academic years 2018/19 to 2020/21. TypeAcademic yearTotalNo SENEducation Health and Care PlanSEN supportPermanent exclusions2020/2193062019/20134272018/19161402Suspensions2020/21417209361722019/20393117901862018/1951423060224

Oak National Academy

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reducing the (i) scope and (ii) funding of the Oak National Academy arms-length body and (b) pausing procurement processes until a new curriculum partner can be found following the withdrawal of United Learning.

Kelly Tolhurst: As an integral part of the process to set up Oak National Academy as an arm’s length body (ALB), the department carefully considered the scope and minimum viable funding that will enable the ALB to deliver its vital objectives and provide value for money. Progress will be monitored throughout Oak’s lifetime and will be factored into the body’s ongoing evaluation and two-year review.Oak National Academy’s forthcoming procurement will identify curriculum partners, ensuring all teachers are able to access leading curriculum thinking and expertise, drawn from across the education sector.

Free School Meals

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the cost of (a) extending free school meals to all children with a parent or guardian who is in receipt of Universal Credit and (b) making free school meals universal.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department does not have plans to assess the cost of changing the current eligibility conditions for free school meals (FSM).The department continues to monitor the rising cost of living whilst working with other government departments on support surrounding this issue. The department will continue to keep FSM eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the government believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of pupils are now provided with FSM.

Pre-school Education: Dulwich and West Norwood

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many maintained nursery schools have closed in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency since 2010.

Kelly Tolhurst: Information about school closures can be found through the government’s get information about schools service. The service shows that no maintained nursery schools have closed in the Dulwich and West Norwood constituency since 2010.The get information about schools portal can be accessed at: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Search.

Oak National Academy: Writers

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on revenue for education authors on converting the Oak National Academy to an arms-length curriculum body.

Kelly Tolhurst: As an integral part of the process to set up Oak National Academy as an arm’s length body, the department produced a business case which included an assessment of potential market impact. This business case will be published shortly.Monitoring market impact will be a priority throughout Oak National Academy’s lifetime and will be factored into the body’s ongoing evaluation and two-year review.Where Oak needs to use existing third-party content, such as texts, Oak will seek to have an overarching licence with relevant licensing bodies wherever feasible (or direct relationships with rights holders where necessary) so the rights holder gets full payment for their work.

Children's Centres: Dulwich and West Norwood

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency since 2010.

Kelly Tolhurst: Since 18 September 2017, data on Sure Start children’s centres and children’s centre linked sites has been supplied by local authorities via the department’s get information about schools database portal, which is available at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.The number of children’s centre closures is based on information supplied by local authorities as of 19 October 2022. These figures may differ from the number of closures reported locally and may change as local authorities can update their data at any time. Based on this latest information supplied as of 19 October 2022, no Sure Start children’s centres have closed in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency since 2010.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to publish a deaf-specific national standard as part of the planned national SEND and AP implementation strategy.

Kelly Tolhurst: In March 2022, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper and the Schools White Paper, which set out plans to ensure every child can reach their full potential.The Green Paper aims to drive national consistency in how needs are assessed, identified, and met across education, health, and care through the introduction of national standards. The department is considering the different options for developing these standards and we will continue to work with a variety of stakeholders as we develop our options.The Green Paper consultation closed on 22 July 2022 and the department is currently analysing the responses. The department will publish a national SEND and AP implementation strategy in due course, setting out our response to the consultation and the next steps for developing national standards.

Engineering: Primary Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) improve and (b) increase primary school education for children on careers in electronics and engineering.

Kelly Tolhurst: Careers provision is embedded in the key stage 2 citizenship curriculum, which requires that pupils be taught about a range of possible careers, including careers in electronics and engineering.The department announced in the Schools White Paper: Opportunity for All, a new programme for careers provision in primary schools. The programme will run from winter 2022 until March 2025 and will target primary schools in areas of disadvantage. We have allocated £2.6 million to fund this programme.The programme will seek to inspire pupils about the world of work, drawing on positive role models from a range of industries and sectors to help raise aspirations, challenge stereotypes, and help children link their learning to future jobs and careers. Activities funded will align with the most relevant aspects of the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance for the primary age group. The eight Gatsby Benchmarks serve as a framework for improvement in careers provision for secondary schools and colleges.The programme will include activities aligned with, for example, Gatsby Benchmark 4 regarding linking curriculum learning to careers to ensure that children have the chance to explore how literacy, numeracy, digital skills, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects can help them develop the skills they will need for their future careers.

Childcare: Dulwich and West Norwood

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many childcare providers have closed in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency since 2010; and how many childcare places those closures have eliminated.

Kelly Tolhurst: This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Ofsted: Staff

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) full time equivalent employees and (b) employees by headcount there are at Ofsted (i) in total and (ii) in each separate directorate of that department, as of 17 October 2022.

Jonathan Gullis: The table below provides details on the number of employees at Ofsted as at 17 October 2022:Split by Group/DirectorateCountFTEDigital and Information125121.2East Midlands Region10198.3East of England Region9694.3Education118115.3Executive Board1515.0Finance Property and Commercial5957.5Insights and Research148140.2London Region128126.1North East Yorkshire and Humber Region150146.4North West Region138137.2Operations332306.2People Group8179.4Regulation and Social Care5049.5Selection, Risk Assessment and Forecasting1312.5South East Region134130.7South West Region9793.2Strategy and Engagement7168.4West Midlands Region115113.9Grand Total1,9711,905.0

Children in Care: Supported Housing

David Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the ban on placing children under the age of 16 in unregulated accommodation on outcomes for those children in the 12 months since the introduction of that policy.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department completed a child rights impact assessment and an equalities impact assessment banning the placement of under 16s in unregulated provision. Children of this age should be placed in children’s homes or in foster care.The department will keep these under review as we move forward with wider reforms to introduce mandatory national standards and Ofsted registration and inspection requirements for providers of unregulated supported accommodation for 16 and 17-year-old looked-after children and care leavers.Ofsted will continue to monitor placement practice through the inspecting local authority children’s services framework, and the department will also continue to collect and review data on local authority placements via the annual children looked after data return. Data from the period, since the regulations were laid in 2021, will be submitted to the department by local authorities in 2022. This data will be monitored and tracked by the department and will assist us to understand the impact on outcomes for the children placed in these settings.

Students: Childcare

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department provides to PHD students who require financial assistance with childcare.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education to support them with childcare.Students starting a doctoral degree on or after 1 August 2018 are eligible to receive a postgraduate doctoral loan of up to £27,892 to help with course fees and living costs, including childcare.In addition to the above childcare support for doctoral students, all parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.Working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare if they earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage and under £100,000 per year. Students who participate in paid work in addition to their studies and meet the income requirements will be eligible for the additional hours.Parents who meet these income criteria may also be able to receive support from Tax-Free Childcare, which can be worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged 0 to 11, or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children aged 0 to 16.Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.The department remains committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare, and we continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use government-funded support they are entitled to.

Free School Meals

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the Child Poverty Action Group's analysis published on 9 June 2022 stating that 800,000 children living in poverty are not eligible for free school meals.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Child Poverty Action Group's analysis published on 9 June stating that 800,000 children living in poverty are not eligible for free school meals, if he will take steps to provide those children with those meals.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of living crisis on the number of children living in poverty who are not eligible for free school meals.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will review the eligibility criteria for free school meals before the 2022-23 school year.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department does not have plans to assess the potential impact of changes in the cost of living on pupils who are not eligible for free school meals (FSM), nor to make changes to FSM eligibility. However, we continue to monitor the rising cost of living whilst working with other government departments on support surrounding this issue. The department will continue to keep FSM eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the government believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of school children are now provided with FSM.

Childcare: Private Sector

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Nuffield Foundation’s study of England’s childcare market, what assessment he has made of whether for-profit private providers meet the needs of disadvantaged children within their services.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare. One of the signs of a healthy and competitive market is that a range of providers are able to offer choice and flexibility for parents. 65% of early years childcare places in England are provided by private, voluntary, and independent group-based providers who continue to provide high-quality childcare for families. On disadvantaged two-year-old entitlements, 16,040 out of 22,074 providers that delivered services are in the private, voluntary, and independent sector.The majority of eligible two, three, and four-year-olds continue to access free childcare, and local authorities are not reporting any substantial sufficiency or place supply issues that they are unable to manage locally. The department has not seen a substantial number of parents saying that they cannot secure a childcare place.The department continues to engage with sector stakeholders and local authorities to monitor dynamics within local markets, parents' access to government entitlements and the childcare they require, and the sustainability of the sector.

Apprentices

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of apprenticeship starts there have been with businesses in England since 2018.

Andrea Jenkyns: The table below provides the number of apprenticeship starts in England for the 2017/18 academic year through to the 2021/22 academic year. Academic Year2017/182018/192019/202020/212021/22 ProvisionalApprenticeship Starts375,760393,380322,530321,440347,920 Please note that the data provided for the 2021/22 academic year remains provisional until the publication of our annual apprenticeships and traineeships statistical release in November 2022. When published, this data will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-november-2022. The department’s reforms to apprenticeships have empowered employers to develop more than 650 high-quality apprenticeship standards, helping them to build the skilled workforces they need to grow. Employers make the decision about which apprenticeships are right for them and choose when they take on apprentices to meet the needs of their business. The department wants to support employers of all sizes to offer more apprenticeship opportunities, so that even more individuals can benefit from high-quality opportunities to earn whilst learning. We are increasing the funding available for apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and making apprenticeship training more flexible so that apprenticeships are accessible to employers in all sectors.

Childcare: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) nurseries and (b) other early years childcare settings which have closed in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in each of the last five years.

Kelly Tolhurst: This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Childcare: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the resilience of childcare providers in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of childcare provision in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the affordability of childcare provision in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Kelly Tolhurst: One of the signs of a healthy and competitive market is that childcare providers may enter and exit it. The key measure of market health monitored by the department is whether local authorities believe that the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children in their area, rather than whether changes occur in the number and type of providers.Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The parliamentary constituency of Lancaster and Fleetwood is in the local authority of Lancashire. At present, all local authorities, including Lancashire, report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.The department continues to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use the government-funded support that they are entitled to. We collect data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England and fees data can be broken down to local authority level.The latest data shows that the mean hourly fee band for Lancashire local authority is £4.50 for 2-year-olds and £4.75 for 3 and 4-year-olds.

Childcare: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an estimate of the (a) sufficiency and (b) affordability of childcare provision in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Kelly Tolhurst: The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data currently shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable at 1.3 million places since August 2015. The Ofsted data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-providers-and-inspections-as-at-31-march-2022/main-findings-childcare-providers-and-inspections-as-at-31-march-2022.Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. At present, Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency, which is covered by Cheshire West local authority, are reporting that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use government-funded support they are entitled to. The department collects data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England, and fees data can be broken down to local authority level. Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency falls within Cheshire West local authority, where the latest data shows the average hourly fee band for childcare is £4.75 for 2-year-old children and £4.75 for 3 and 4-year-old children.

Students: Cost of Living

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help support students in full-time higher education with the rising cost of living.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help support students in full-time higher education with increased private rental costs.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the rise in price of energy bills on the finances of student households.

Andrea Jenkyns: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen as a result of global events this year and that have impacted students. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help, the department confirmed in guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.Maximum loans for living costs and grants have been increased this academic year, 2022/23. The government is reviewing options for uprating maximum loans and grants for the 2023/24 academic year. An announcement will follow in due course.In addition, maximum tuition fees have been capped at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses. The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.All households will save money on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee. This is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.The Energy Prices Bill introduced on 12 October includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this legislation will be set out in regulations.

Apprentices: North of England

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help improve access to apprenticeships in the North.

Andrea Jenkyns: The department is committed to supporting more employers in all sectors, in all areas of the country, including in the North, to use apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need. We are also committed to supporting more people to benefit from the high-quality training that apprenticeships offer.Since August 2018, there has been a total of 422,100 apprenticeship starts across the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships the department is increasing funding for apprenticeships in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25 financial year.The department is also encouraging more flexible training models, such as front-loaded, accelerated and flexi-job apprenticeships, to make it easier for employers to access apprenticeship training in the way that works best for them.The department continues to make improvements to the apprenticeship levy transfer system to make it easier for large employers to make full use of their levy funds and support starts in their supply chain, sector, or local area. This will also support more employers, including small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to meet local or sectoral skills needs.We have launched a new SME pathfinder, that will support SMEs in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, who face barriers in recruiting apprentices to access the skills training they need to grow.The department is raising awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships for learners through our ‘Skills for Life’ and ‘Get the Jump’ campaigns. In addition, our new ‘Career Starter Apprenticeships’ campaign showcases apprenticeship standards which offer great opportunities for those looking for their first role after leaving full-time education.

Engineering and Manufacturing Industries: Apprentices

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to help increase the number of apprenticeships in the (a) engineering and (b) manufacturing technologies industries.

Andrea Jenkyns: Employers in the engineering and manufacturing route have designed 148 apprenticeship standards to meet their skills needs, and there are a further 17 in development.Apprenticeship starts in the engineering and manufacturing technologies sector increased by 2.2% in the 2020/21 academic year on the previous year, and now make up 14.7% of all apprenticeship startsThe department wants to continue to improve and grow apprenticeships so more employers and individuals can benefit from them, including those within the engineering and manufacturing sectors. We are making apprenticeships more flexible by encouraging the use of more flexible training models including front-loaded training which is being successfully used within the engineering and manufacturing sector. We are also supporting employers to make greater use of their levy and improving the transfers process, so that unspent funds can more easily support apprenticeships in both larger companies and SMEs.The department is working with the Apprenticeships in Manufacturing (AiM) group, which includes industry partners such as Make UK, Enginuity, and the UK Metals Council, and sector representatives, such as the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), to grow the number of high-quality apprenticeships in the manufacturing sector. The AiM group has developed employer toolkits and is providing information, advice and guidance to young people, schools and influencers to promote apprenticeship opportunities in the sector.

Ministry of Justice

Sentencing: Females and Males

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average sentence length was for (a) women and (b) men sentenced to prison in each month since January 2021.

Rachel Maclean: The Ministry of Justice publishes these figures on an annual basis, by quarter, on the GOV.UK website in the Outcomes by Offence data tool (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 21 MB) as part of the Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2021 publication published in May 2022. Figures for 2022 will be published in subsequent releases of the data.Please see the accompanying table, and associated notes, for a breakdown by month for the year 2021. These figures are not routinely published as monthly averages can be influenced by cyclical factors that need to be considered when considering average custodial sentence length (ACSL) – for example, ACSL will depend on the mixture of offences sentenced within that month. Monthly averages will also be more likely to fluctuations due to relatively small volumes of offenders in each period.64210_tables (xlsx, 16.0KB)

Television Licences: Non-payment

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the amount of money that magistrates’ courts in England and Wales imposed in fines for non-payment of the TV licence fee, from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) women given custodial sentences for the non-payment of a magistrates’ court fine arising from a conviction for evasion of payment of TV licence fees in 2021.

Rachel Maclean: The Ministry of Justice publishes figures on the number of people fined for non-payment of a TV licence, broken down by fine amounts, on an annual basis on the GOV.UK website. These figures were most recently updated in May 2022, in the ‘Sentencing Outcomes’ worksheet in the Magistrates' court data tool (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 17.1 MB) as part of the Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2021 publication. The number of people fined for this offence can be found by filtering for HO Offence Code ‘19101 – Television licence evasion’ and breaking this down by fine amount. These figures can also be broken down by various demographics such as age and gender. The average fine amount is available on the ‘Average Amounts’ worksheet.The penalty for TV licence evasion is a fine. A person cannot receive a custodial sentence for TV licence evasion but can be committed to prison for wilfully refusing to pay the fine or culpably neglecting to pay. In 2021, there were no admissions into prison associated with failing to pay a fine in respect of the non-payment of a TV licence in England and Wales.

Ministry of Justice: Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.

Rachel Maclean: The question cannot be answered within cost exemption. You may wish to know that total the department’s expenditure on travel, subsistence and hospitality is published in the annual report and accounts.

Law Commission

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Law Commission on their Registered Land and Chancel Repair Liability project.

Mike Freer: The Registered Land and Chancel Repair Liability project forms part of the Law Commission’s 13th programme, and the Government holds regular discussions with the Commission about current and future projects, including this one. The Law Commission`s 13th Programme explains that this work will be conducted as and when resources allow, and we understand that the project on Registered Land and Chancel Repair Liability has not yet begun.

Offenders: Females

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will set a numerical target for the commitment in the Female Offenders Strategy on reducing the number of women entering prison.

Rob Butler: We remain committed to the aims in the Female Offender Strategy (2018) of seeing fewer women offending and reoffending; fewer women in custody, especially on short sentences, with more managed effectively in the community; and better conditions for women in custody that support effective rehabilitation.As we have an independent judiciary, setting a numerical target as proposed is not appropriate and may have unintended consequences. We are working to ensure that interventions and pilot projects are, where possible, evaluated so that we can understand their impact on the numbers and make-up of the population.

Juries: Greater London

Dame Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of local authorities in north London on agreeing a new jury venue to help clear the backlog in jury inquests.

Mike Freer: The Chief Coroner is engaging with the local coroner service and Camden Council, as lead local authority for the Inner North London coroner area, on the issue of accommodation for jury inquests.More generally, the Chief Coroner continues to monitor carefully the national position on inquest backlogs, and has issued guidance to coroners on developing Covid-19 recovery plans. He is currently undertaking a tour of all coroner areas in England and Wales to better understand local needs.The Government recognises that pandemic pressures have affected the ability to hold jury and other large and complex inquests. We have provided £6.15 billion in grant funding to local authorities in England to support the cost of pandemic pressures, which could include additional costs incurred in the administration of coroner services. Additional funding has also been allocated to the Devolved Administrations under the Barnett Formula.

Department for International Trade

Trade Promotion: Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress the Government has made on the recruitment of Export Champions for Northern Ireland.

Mr Marcus Fysh: The Department for International Trade has recruited six Export Champions for Northern Ireland. Pending final appointment processes, the Export Champions will be announced in due course. Further Export Champions for Northern Ireland may be appointed at a later date.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Hafez Hureini

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of the treatment of 52-year-old Palestinian man, Hafez Hureini, by the Israeli authorities.

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department will call for an independent, international investigation into the treatment of Hafez Hureini by the Israeli authorities.

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of referring the case of Hafez Hureini to the International Criminal Court's investigation into alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli authorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Leo Docherty: We are aware of Mr Hureini's case and will continue to monitor developments closely. The UK condemns any incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinians. We welcome the efforts of Israeli authorities to address settler violence and urge them to thoroughly investigate every instance to bring those responsible to justice and end the culture of impunity.

Palestinians: Textbooks

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of whether study materials produced by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East for use in the Palestinian Territories meet UNESCO standards of peace and tolerance in education.

Leo Docherty: We are longstanding supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and their work to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We accompany our support for the UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to textbooks and other learning material to ensure they reflect UN values.

Palestinians: Textbooks

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to IMPACT-se’s Review of 2022 UNRWA-Produced Study Materials in the Palestinian Territories, published in July 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of that review.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence. We are aware of the recent IMPACT-SE report and raised with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) directly. We are longstanding supporters of UNRWA and their work to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We accompany our support for UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to the learning material UNRWA produces in the OPTs to ensure they reflect UN values.

Somali: Development Aid

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to increase the £50M of aid pledged to help alleviate famine in Somalia, in the context of recent droughts.

Leo Docherty: The humanitarian crisis in East Africa continues to worsen. UK supported humanitarian activities are making a difference and saving lives. In Somalia, to alleviate the impact of drought and address the risk of famine, since 1 April 2022, the UK has allocated £52.8 million in humanitarian, health and nutrition support.The FCDO is prioritising spending that is vital to protect against immediate threat to life and wellbeing, will prevent people falling into humanitarian need, or will prevent delays to accessing healthcare, primary education, sanitation and clean water. Ministers will make any adjustments and final aid prioritisation decisions based on additional Official Development Assistance pressures this autumn.

Uganda: Freedom of Expression

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of political opposition in Uganda to the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act on (a) freedom of expression, (b) media freedom and (c) freedom of space in that country.

Leo Docherty: The UK notes the passing of the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act 2022 by the Parliament of Uganda. We are worried that provisions of the Act may contribute to further restrictions on media freedom and freedom of expression in Uganda. The British High Commission in Kampala regularly make representations to the Government of Uganda urging them to ensure that, while striking the balance between protecting the right to privacy (including child protection) and freedom of expression, they uphold the fundamentals of both the Constitution of Uganda and Uganda's obligations under international human rights law.

Somali: Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of the £50m in UK aid allocated to support the Somali people most in need with food, water and healthcare has been disbursed to date.

Leo Docherty: On 21 September at the UN General Assembly, the UK Minister for Development, Vicky Ford MP, announced £22.8 million package assistance for Somalia to alleviate the impact of drought and address the risk of famine. This brings the UK's total support to Somalia since 1 April 2022 to £52.8 million covering humanitarian, health and nutrition support.The £22.8 million package of assistance has been fully committed to partners and is being programmed through three FCDO programmes: i) Somalia Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (2018-2022); ii) Better Lives for Somali Women and Children (2022-2028); and iii) Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Building in Somalia (2022/23). Details on programme spend is published online on UKaid Development Tracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/)

Central African Republic: Television

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of plans to open a Russian television station in the Central African Republic, including (a) the impact on risks of misinformation and disinformation and (b) transparency in the funding of this television station.

Leo Docherty: The UK does not have a resident Embassy in the Central African Republic but we monitor the political, economic, and social situation in that country through the British Embassy in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.As a privately owned entity, we are unable to comment on the funding of the television station. However, we note the rise of misinformation in the Central African Republic and its potential destabilising impact.

Palestinians: Development Aid

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the Government last reviewed compliance with its partnership principles with the Palestinian Authority.

Leo Docherty: Following a review in December 2021, FCDO's assessment is that the Palestinian Authority (PA) demonstrates a partially credible commitment to the Partnership Principles. There is relatively strong progress on improving public financial management and a continued commitment to delivering effective services and reducing poverty, despite the challenges of occupation. However, cases of abuses of human rights and restrictions on freedom of expression continue and there is potential for greater action to strengthen human rights protection and increase domestic accountability in areas within the PA's control. The UK will continue to monitor these areas closely and raise with the highest levels of the PA.

Palestinians: Terrorism

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the latest Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Palestinian Authority (PA), what assessment her department has made of a PA spokesperson vowing to continue the policy of paying salaries to the families of terrorists on 30 January 2022.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government strongly condemns all acts of terrorism and has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence. It is critical that the Palestinian leadership continue their efforts to tackle terror and incitement, strengthen institutions and develop a sustainable economy. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We continue to assess the PA's commitment to peace in line with our Partnership Principles.

Sub-saharan Africa: Debts

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help countries in sub-Saharan Africa tackle debt.

Leo Docherty: We recognise the significant debt vulnerabilities in many sub-Saharan African countries.The UK works with the International Financial Institutions to promote debt sustainability and build debt management capacity, including through the African Legal Support Fund.Where required, the UK participates in debt restructuring and relief. For example, the UK is fully committed to working with the Paris Club and G20 to do this through the G20 Common Framework, including as a member of the creditor committee for Zambia.We have also provided £150 million to the International Monetary Fund that allowed it to relieve $964 million of its debt to 25 poorer countries.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.

Leo Docherty: Total taxi travel spend for those financial years is listed below:FY 2020 - £1,989,134FY 2021 - £ 1,072,219FY 2022 - £1,312,289

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Railways

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on first class train travel for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in (i) 2020, (i) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Leo Docherty: Total rail travel spend for those financial years are in the table below.FY2020 - 2305799FY2021 - 157608FY2022 - 773084

Tigray

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of casualties among (a) combatants and (b) civilians in the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia since 24 August 2022.

Leo Docherty: Information on casualties from the conflict in northern Ethiopia is scarce, but we believe that since the resumption of fighting on 24 August it is likely that there have been thousands of battlefield casualties. 13 million people require humanitarian assistance as a result of the conflict. We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia, the reopening of humanitarian access to all parts of Tigray, and both sides to attend African Union-convened peace talks.

Palestinians: Development Aid

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the UK last reviewed compliance with its partnership principles with the Palestinian Authority.

Leo Docherty: Following a review in December 2021, FCDO's assessment is that the Palestinian Authority (PA) demonstrates a partially credible commitment to the Partnership Principles. There is relatively strong progress on improving public financial management and a continued commitment to delivering effective services and reducing poverty, despite the challenges of the occupation. However, cases of abuses of human rights and restrictions on freedom of expression continue and there is a need for greater action to strengthen human rights protection and increase domestic accountability in areas within the PA's control. The UK continues to monitor these issues closely, and raise them at the highest levels of the PA.

Uganda: Ebola

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the Ebola outbreak in Uganda.

Leo Docherty: On 20 September, the Ugandan Ministry of Health confirmed an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Mubende District, central Uganda. As of 17 October, there were 60 confirmed cases and 24 confirmed deaths. The British High Commission in Kampala is monitoring the outbreak closely and is in regular contact with the Government of Uganda, World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners on the ground. FCDO Travel Advice is updated regularly to reflect the latest situation and advises against all but essential travel to Mubende District in Central Uganda. It also reflects the Government of Uganda's decision to impose 21-day partial lockdowns on Mubende and Kassanda Districts. On 12 October 2022, the UK announced £2.2 million of funding to support different elements of the response: £900,000 to UNICEF for community engagements and hygiene measures in health facilities and schools; £900,000 to the World Food Programme for transport, storage and logistical support; and £400,000 to the WHO for co-ordination, local surveillance and laboratory diagnosis.

Horn of Africa: Nutrition

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) integrate nutrition across its programming and (b) use the OECD policy marker for nutrition, including in its programmes in the Horn of Africa.

Leo Docherty: The UK is committed to integrating nutrition objectives and interventions across multiple sectors including health, humanitarian, women and girls, climate and economic development partnerships. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Nutrition Policy Marker is now embedded in our systems to ensure that FCDO programmes contributing to nutrition objectives are 'marked' from the point of programme design, including those in the Horn of Africa. This will help to improve tracking and accountability for nutrition programmes.

Benin: Security

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the risk of insecurity linked to jihadist groups spreading into Benin; what steps he is taking to support security in Benin; and what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on support for security in Benin.

Leo Docherty: The UK continues to monitor the deteriorating situation across the Sahel, and the impact on coastal West African countries including Benin. We are supportive of the efforts of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and the Accra Initiative to respond to increases in insecurity and the threat to Benin and other countries.The UK Minister for Armed Forces and the former Minister for Africa have visited the region to understand how the UK could support regional security initiatives. At the UK-Ghana Security Dialogue in July the UK Government confirmed our ambition to help regional partners to galvanise international support for such efforts. Meanwhile, the UK continues to support partners to strengthen their security capability. In the last year, 11 members of the Beninese Armed Forces have been sponsored by the UK to attend Professional Military Education courses that range from Planning, Leadership and Peace Support Operations.

Somalia and Somaliland: Development Aid

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how his Department's funding for (a) Somaliland and (b) Somalia will be spent in the 2022-23 financial year; and how much and what proportion of the funding will be spend on programmes to help tackle child wasting.

Leo Docherty: The UK is a major humanitarian donor to the East Africa region and UK-funded activities are making a difference and saving lives. Since 1 April 2022 the UK has allocated £52.8 million in humanitarian, health and nutrition support to alleviate the impact of drought and address the risk of famine in Somalia and Somaliland.An estimated 1.8 million children under the age of 5 are affected by acute malnutrition in Somalia. UK support is providing emergency cash transfers, life-saving health and nutrition services and supplies, and supporting immediate access to food for people in rural communities. In early 2022 FCDO Ministers approved 'Better Lives'; a new multi-year health and nutrition programme in Somalia targeted at mothers and children.Given the current fiscal context, the FCDO is not able to publish forward programme allocations in our Annual Report. The original allocations would not be accurate, and it would be misleading to publish detailed disaggregated budgets at this time.

Mohammad El Halabi

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of the sentencing of Palestinian World Vision aid worker, Mohammad El Halabi, by the Israeli authorities.

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the charges brought against Mohammad El Halabi by the Israeli authorities.

Leo Docherty: The UK is aware of the sentencing of former Gaza World Vision Director Mohammad Halabi. We are aware of issues regarding the trial process and are engaged with the Israeli authorities on these issues. We will monitor Mr Halabi's appeal closely.

Lebanon: Humaitarian Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what humanitarian assistance he is providing to Lebanon in the current financial year.

Leo Docherty: Lebanon is experiencing a severe economic and humanitarian crisis. Since 2011, the UK has allocated over £799 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon. This year UK assistance to the UN World Food Programme is supporting with the provision of life-saving cash assistance to 25,400 vulnerable Syrian refugee households. The UK will continue to help the most vulnerable but is clear that the Government of Lebanon must deliver economic reforms as the only way to alleviate the crisis and set the country on a path to long-term economic stability.

Palestinians: Textbooks

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the Review of 2022 UNRWA-Produced Study Materials in the Palestinian Territories published by IMPACT-se in July 2022.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence. We are aware of the recent Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE) report and raised with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) directly. We are longstanding supporters of UNRWA and their work to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We accompany our support for UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to the learning material UNRWA produces in the OPTs to ensure they reflect UN values.

Syria: Crimes against Humanity and Human Rights

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of allegations of (a) human rights abuses and (b) crimes against humanity at Sednaya Prison in Syria.

Leo Docherty: We are appalled by the human rights situation in Syria, especially Sednaya. The UN Commission of Inquiry has detailed that crimes against humanity continue to take place across Syria. We strongly condemn these violations. We have contributed over £14 million to gather evidence and assist victims of human rights violations since 2012. We are the penholder for the Syria Human Rights Council Resolution, which was last adopted in September. We use our position at the UN Security Council to draw international attention to ongoing violations in Syria, including within prisons, and will again urge the release of detainees this month.

Ali Ghanaatkar

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying Magnitsky sanctions against Ali Ghanaatkar.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying Magnitsky sanctions against Gholamreza Ziaei.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying Magnitsky sanctions against Ali Rezvani.

Leo Docherty: The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list#full-publication-update-historyIt is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.

Brazil: Democracy and Freedom of Expression

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Brazilian counterpart on democracy and freedom of expression in that country.

Jesse Norman: The UK and Brazil have a close dialogue on a number of bilateral and global issues of mutual interest, including freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Brazil's Foreign Minister on 10 October and expressed his hope that the second round of Brazil's elections, on 30 October, is carried out in a free, fair and peaceful manner. Both Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court and the official observer mission of the Organisation of American States have concluded that Brazil's first round of voting, on 2 October, was carried out peacefully and fairly.

Diego Garcia: Asylum

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether migrants currently accommodated on Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory and who are assessed to be at risk should they return to their country of origin will be permitted to make a claim for asylum in the UK.

Jesse Norman: The British Indian Ocean Territory is not a suitable long-term place of residence for migrants and the UK Government remains committed to supporting their departure and to ensuring that they are not at risk of persecution on return to their country of origin. The individuals will not be permitted to make a claim for asylum in the UK.

Diego Garcia: Human Trafficking

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the risks of human trafficking faced by migrants currently accommodated on Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory.

Jesse Norman: The UK Government is working to find a long-term solution for the migrants currently accommodated on Diego Garcia. Their welfare and safety are our top priority.  All possible courses of action are assessed in light of the possible risks to migrants, including mistreatment, trafficking or persecution. The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is not a suitable long-term place of residence for migrants and we are committed to finding a solution that ensures BIOT does not become a destination for people smuggling.

Haiti: Cholera

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the outbreak of cholera in Haiti.

Jesse Norman: The UK government is aware of the global challenges in the fight against cholera, including a shortage of vaccines and cholera treatment commodities. Within Haiti there are further challenges; the security situation has prevented the functioning of adequate sanitation facilities in the affected areas and the unimpeded transport of medical supplies.FCDO officials have engaged with international partners to discuss how we can limit the outbreak of cholera worldwide. We will continue to discuss the situation in Haiti with our international counterparts to agree how the international community can best help to protect the Haitian people from this disease.

Myanmar: Sanctions

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the potential merits of further sanctions against the Myanmar military.

Jesse Norman: Since the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021, the UK Government have imposed 12 tranches of sanctions targeting the military's leadership, businesses and associates. On 21 June 2021, we jointly announced sanctions with the EU on Myanmar Pearl Enterprise and Myanmar Timber Enterprise. The UK government is in regular contact with our counterparts in the EU to coordinate on possible future sanctions targets. This includes sharing information and discussing potential targets. We continue to explore further measures to undermine the Myanmar military regime's credibility and target their access to finance and arms.

USA: Foreign Relations

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 63351 on USA: Foreign Relations, whether his Department has ever provided funding to the British-American Project.

Jesse Norman: The FCDO has not provided any funding since 2016. Information for the prior years is not held centrally.

Development Aid: Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what Official Development Assistance funding mechanisms his Department uses to disburse sexual and reproductive health and rights aid.

Vicky Ford: Details of all UK Government Official Development Assistance funding mechanisms including channel of delivery, bilateral multilateral breakdown, type of aid, and type of finance is listed by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committe (DAC) sector code in the "Statistics on International Development (SID): final UK aid spend 2020 - Data underlying the SID publication" annex table here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-final-uk-aid-spend-2020Please refer to the "Donor Delivering for Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR)" report SRHR spend methodology for the most relevant OECD DAC sector code here: https://donorsdelivering.report/

Agriculture: Climate Change

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the role of intensive farming in the climate emergency; and what steps the Government will take to transition to sustainable and humane food systems.

Vicky Ford: At COP26, the UK announced the £65 million Just Rural Transition Support Programme to support developing countries design and implement approaches that help farmers build resilience and drive investment into more sustainable methods of agriculture. This builds on £9 million of current UK Government support to the Just Rural Transition which is helping countries to take initial steps to implement sustainable land use policies and practices. This is also a priority domestically. Following our exit from the European Union, England has begun a programme of ambitious agriculture reform. This new policy will, over a gradual transition period, phase out the area-based EU style subsidies and instead introduce a package of voluntary grants and continuous payments which reward farmers for environmental outcomes, increase productivity and support investment in technology.It is clear that global food and agriculture systems are central drivers of climate change, contributing up to 33% of global Greenhouse Gas Emissions and are the leading driver of biodiversity loss. Through the COP26 campaign on Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Agriculture, the UK COP Presidency raised visibility and mobilised action for transformation in agriculture, land use and food systems, essential to ensure sustainable food production for a growing population whilst building resilience for farmers and a just transition to reduce emissions and reversing harmful impacts on biodiversity.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that the (a) UK population and (b) international community does not become desensitised to the war in Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: Ministers and officials are working intensively with our allies and through multilateral fora to show how Russia's aggression undermines the UN Charter and impacts the global economy, with serious implications for world's poorest. We are supporting Ukrainian and international efforts to investigate war crimes, to ensure that those responsible are held to account.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help ensure British research and technical experience in tackling (a) malaria and (b) other global diseases is deployed in countries where those diseases are endemic.

Vicky Ford: The UK is a global leader in research on tackling malaria and other global diseases, with wide-ranging expertise across the UK academic, public and private sectors. For example, the world's first World Health Organisation approved malaria vaccine was developed by a British company, GlaxoSmithKline, and the new R21 malaria vaccine has been developed by Oxford University's Jenner Institute.The Government continues to support the deployment of UK expertise though further investments in research and development. This includes the University of Oxford and the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit's trial on a new combination therapy for drug-resistant malaria, and the Innovative Vector Control Consortium, established by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, including their novel class of bed-nets which kill mosquitoes resistant to traditional insecticides.The UK also provides support to multilateral institutions such as GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to deliver life-saving interventions to disease-endemic countries.

Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria at increasing global preparedness for pandemic.

Vicky Ford: The Global Fund is a high performing organisation that has saved 50 million lives to date. The UK is the organisation's third largest donor historically, investing £4.4 billion since 2002. The Global Fund responded quickly and effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic by establishing the COVID-19 Response Mechanism. This mechanism has raised over $4.3 billion to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on programs to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and work with national response plans to support urgent improvements in health and community systems. The UK allocated an additional £60 million to the mechanism this year to support diagnostic and oxygen supplies. As an active member of the Global Fund Board that plays a key role in assessing the Global Fund's effectiveness, the UK will continue to support the Global Fund to define its evolving role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response within its new 2023-2028 strategy.

Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make a comparative assessment of the rate of return on health for each pound spent on (a) contributing to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and (b) bilateral programming.

Vicky Ford: The UK is known world-wide for the emphasis we put on ensuing maximum value for money and return on investment for the Official Development Assistance we invest. The Global Fund is frequently assessed by the UK and others as providing excellent value for money, delivering health best buys and ensuring that interventions reach the most vulnerable. Further information outlining the return on investment for the Global Fund is available at https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/fight-for-what-counts/ The UK's multilateral and bilateral programmes are complementary. The UK's approach to bilateral programmes and the benefits this offers the UK and partner countries is set out in the International Development Strategy at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-governments-strategy-for-international-development

Pakistan: Floods

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the floods in Pakistan on countries to which the UK provides aid and in which rice is a staple food.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the floods in Pakistan on international food prices.

Leo Docherty: The recent floods in Pakistan will have a serious impact on food security in the country and globally. More than 1 million livestock have died and over 9 million acres of crops have been affected, including 15% of the rice crop. The flooding is expected to affect countries who rely on food imports from Pakistan, however it is too early to tell of the impact on international food prices. The UK has committed to ensuring global food security remains a priority under our new International Development Strategy.

Turkey: EU Enlargement

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate entitled The honouring of obligations and commitments by Turkiye, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 12 October 2022.

Leo Docherty: We will continue our engagement with Turkey, to promote the shared values of the Council of Europe, of which Turkey is a founding member. We are grateful to the Council of Europe, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, for their work on the first monitoring report since Turkey was put under monitoring procedure, and for the debate on 12 October 2022.

Ukraine: Arms Trade

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the United Nations on funding to provide arms and military equipment to Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: The UK is in close consultation with representatives of the United Nations on relevant aspects of the conflict in Ukraine, although the United Nations does not supply or fund weapons for Ukraine. The UK plays a leading international role in supplying and funding military aid for Ukraine, alongside our allies. In July, the Secretary of State for Defence announced the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine which aims to raise over £1 billion with international partners to fund the provision of military capabilities for Ukraine.

Pakistan: Floods

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what financial support he is providing to Pakistan in response to the recent floods and the rise of water-borne diseases.

Leo Docherty: There is a high risk of water-borne diseases in Pakistan following the devastating flooding. On 14 October, the UK committed a further £10 million in humanitarian relief, taking the UK's financial support to £26.5 million in total. The £26.5 million will be used to provide assistance with shelter, water and sanitation to help prevent waterborne diseases and enable the purchase of food and essentials services. Emerging health risks in Pakistan are being routinely monitored and the UK will continue to work with the Government of Pakistan and international partners to support Pakistan's recovery.

Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what impact assessments he has made on the Government's decision to suspend disbursements for aid programmes since 1 March 2022; and if he will publish those assessments.

Vicky Ford: The pause on some aid payments, in place since July 2022, is a temporary measure ahead of decisions about aid prioritisation. Impact assessments are ongoing.Impact assessments will not be published, due to the need to protect the space for officials to provide frank advice to ministers.

Hungary

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate entitled The honouring of membership obligations to the Council of Europe by Hungary, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 12 October 2022.

Leo Docherty: The UK respects Hungary's right to determine its own constitutional arrangements, but expects alignment with international norms. Hungary needs a pluralistic media landscape in which a variety of voices and opinions are heard and journalists have equal access to information. We will closely follow developments on this matter. The UK Government recognises the valuable work of the Council of Europe, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and your involvement within this debate as Assembly President.

Russia: Ukraine

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate entitled Further escalation in the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 13 October 2022.

Leo Docherty: The UK is appalled by Russia's attacks against civilian infrastructure, civilians and cities across Ukraine, which may constitute war crimes. We and our international partners stand united in condemning the Russian government's reprehensible actions in Ukraine, which are an egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter. We will continue to work together to make sure that Russia cannot further undermine European stability, ensuring the security and defence of all our Allies. In line with President Zelenskyy's request at the start of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe debate on 13 October, the Defence Secretary announced that the UK will donate cutting-edge air defence missiles to Ukraine which can help protect against Russian missile strikes.

Climate Change: Internally Displaced People and Migration

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to create accurate (a) definitions of and (b) statistics on climate-related forced (i) displacement and (ii) migration.

Vicky Ford: Climate change is an increasingly significant factor in driving migration and displacement. However, decisions to migrate are rarely mono-causal; climate change interacts with and can exacerbate other drivers of migration. On that basis we do not use a single fixed definition of climate-related migration or displacement. The UK Government makes use of data from a range of sources to understand the relationship between climate change and migration. This has included commissioning a 'Rapid evidence assessment on the impacts of climate change on migration patterns', which has been made publicly available at https://www.gov.uk/research-for-development-outputs/rapid-evidence-assessment-on-the-impacts-of-climate-change-on-migration-patterns

Nutrition: Development Aid

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's commitment at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in December 2021, what progress he has made on (a) spending £1.5 billion by 2030 on tackling global malnutrition and (b) maintaining 20 per cent of overall nutrition spending specifically on nutrition programmes.

Vicky Ford: Information about spending to tackle global malnutrition in 2021 and 2022 will be made available through Statistics for International Development (SIDS) in Autumn 2022 and Autumn 2023 (respectively). We will continue to publish our spend information by project on DevTracker as always (updated monthly).  The FCDO has disbursed over £5 billion of Official Development Assistance for nutrition between 2013 and 2020 and spent £530.2 million on nutrition specific programmes, just missing our 2020 target of £574.8 million. We are now focused on achieving our 2021 Nutrition for Growth commitment to spend £1.5 billion by 2030.

Fertilisers: Prices

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of shortages of ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate on international fertiliser prices and international food prices.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government is monitoring developments in global and, where possible, vulnerable regional and national, fertiliser markets, including current supply shortages and high prices of nitrogenous and other fertilisers. Challenges related to supply and prices have contributed to high global food prices this year and were further exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While 2022 has been a year of increased food access challenges, high fertiliser costs and supply constraints could impact on yields in the coming year and affect global food availability in 2023.

Remittances: Fees and Charges

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to reduce transfer fees on family remittances.

Vicky Ford: Remittances are part of a complex global network of financial flows. With our partners FCDO is working to reduce the cost of remittances to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. For example in 2019, the UK government owned organisation FSD (Financial Sector Deepening) Africa made a catalytic investment in MFS Africa, Africa's largest mobile money hub, which reduced the average cost of remittances in 33 African countries from 6% in 2018 to 4.25% in 2021.

Climate Change: International Assistance

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to further support the African Development Bank commitment to provide $25 billion of climate financing by 2025 including the commitment for at least 50 per cent of such financing to be for climate adaptation.

Vicky Ford: The African Development Bank (AfDB) is a long-standing and strategic partner of the UK. We welcome the Bank's target to provide 40% of its finance for climate change, and at least 50% of this for adaptation. We are currently the largest donor to the African Development Fund, which provides such finance to the poorest countries across the Continent. At COP26 we announced our Room to Run Guarantee that will allow the Bank to provide up to US$2 billion of additional financing for climate change over the next four years, to countries such as Egypt and South Africa.

Remittances

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of the value of remittances in the UK in each of the previous five years.

Vicky Ford: With respect to UK remittances that flow internationally, FCDO does not collect or report this data globally. The best proxy is the World Bank Group's remittance data which is published annually and available online https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/migrationremittancesdiasporaissues/brief/migration-remittances-data and captures flows through formal banking systems.

Oxfam

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of lifting the funding suspension on providing aid to Oxfam; and whether that suspension will be lifted.

Vicky Ford: The allegations that surfaced around Oxfam in the DRC are serious. It is right that is given careful consideration. The FCDO will make a decision shortly regarding whether to allow Oxfam to bid for HMG funding.

Climate Change: Finance

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the UK's progress on meeting the international climate finance commitments announced at COP26, and if he will publish a breakdown of progress on each of those commitments.

Vicky Ford: Under the UK's COP Presidency 95% of the largest developed country climate finance providers made new, forward-looking climate finance commitments. The $100 billion Delivery Plan projects that the $100 billion finance goal will be met by developed countries by 2023 at the latest, with over $500 billion mobilised over the 5-year period 2021-25. In addition, at COP26 there was significant progress on adaptation finance, with collective agreement to at least double finance for adaptation on 2019 levels by 2025. We are encouraging all climate finance providers to bring forward their Progress Update to the $100 billion Delivery Plan for COP27.

Climate Change: Developing Countries

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress he has made on delivering COP climate finance commitments for developing countries.

Vicky Ford: Under the UK's COP Presidency 95% of the largest developed country climate finance providers made new, forward-looking climate finance commitments. The $100 billion Delivery Plan projects that the $100 billion finance goal will be met by developed countries by 2023 at the latest, with over $500 billion mobilised over the 5-year period 2021-25. In addition, at COP26 there was significant progress on adaptation finance, with collective agreement to at least double finance for adaptation on 2019 levels by 2025. We are encouraging all climate finance providers to bring forward their Progress Update to the $100 billion Delivery Plan for COP27.

Ministry of Defence

Fleet Solid Support Ships: Contracts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to make a final decision on the tender process for the Fleet Solid Support Ships contract.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to build the Fleet Solid Support Ships in UK shipyards.

Alec Shelbrooke: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 19 October to question 61778.The selection of the Preferred Bidder will be announced in due course, prior to the award of a manufacture contract, which is expected to be within two years of competition launch in May 2021.Fleet Solid Support Ships (docx, 16.4KB)

Amey

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a target set for the timeframe of completion of open work orders by Amey plc for Service Living Accommodation.

Alec Shelbrooke: Since implementation of the Future Defence Infrastructure Service contracts which were completed in April 2022, Amey is no longer a contractor delivering maintenance for Single Living Accommodation.

Amey

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Answer of 19 October to Question 61728, what recent estimate he has made of the number of military homes owned by Amey plc that are awaiting repairs.

Alec Shelbrooke: Amey PLC do not own any military homes. Amey PLC are the contractors responsible for the repair and maintenance of MOD properties in the North and Central regions within the UK, under the Regional Accommodation Maintenance Service (RAMS) contract.The MOD has approximately 47,900 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in the UK. 37,100 are leased from Annington Homes Limited and the remainder are either MOD owned or leased from other smaller providers.As of 13 October 2022, there were 13,910 SFA with open work orders for repairs.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the morale of Russian Armed Forces personnel since the Ukrainian counteroffensive began in August 2022.

James Heappey: I refer the Rt hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him to question 63110 on the 19 October 2022.Ukraine; Armed Conflict (docx, 16.7KB)

Military Aircraft: Standards

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the task achievement rates were of the air mobility fleet including the (a) C-17, (b) C-130J and (c) A400M in each month since March 2021.

Alec Shelbrooke: Figures for the average daily number of tasks achieved for the Globemaster C-17, Hercules C-130J and Atlas A400M broken down by month for the period March 2021 to September 2022 are provided in the table below:Average Daily Tasks AchievedMonthC-17C-130JA400MMarch 20214.006.236.32April 20214.005.76.40May 20213.844.194.77June 20213.735.836.27July 20213.816.455.87August 20213.846.135.84September 20212.135.906.27October 20213.486.485.81November 20213.776.575.83December 20213.944.745.81January 20223.975.164.94February 20223.935.965.18March 20223.745.845.26April 20223.474.705.77May 20223.166.235.90June 20223.636.406.27July 20223.196.297.10August 20223.556.165.90September 20223.706.305.77

Military Aircraft: Standards

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what were the availability rates of the air mobility fleet including the (a) C-17, (b) C-130J and (c) A400M in each month since March 2021.

Alec Shelbrooke: Monthly average Forward Available Fleet figures for the Globemaster C-17, Hercules C-130J and Atlas A400M for the period March 2021 to September 2022 are provided in the table below:  Monthly Average Forward Available Fleet MonthC-17C-130JA400MMarch 20217914April 20217913May 20216814June 20216813July 20217913August 20217913September 202171014October 202171014November 20217914December 20217813January 20227814February 20227814March 202271014April 20227913May 202261013June 202261014July 20226913August 20227914September 20227914Figures are rounded to the nearest aircraft

A400M Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Non-Recurring Engineering costs of modifying the A400M to take on the roles of the C-130J will be funded by (a) the UK exclusively or (b) in partnership with other countries.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the estimated Non-Recurring Engineering cost of modifying the A400M aircraft to take on all roles of the C-130J aircraft.

Alec Shelbrooke: The baseline engineering standard of the A400M Atlas is already sufficient to enable it to take on the roles of the Hercules aircraft, and therefore no additional Non-Recurring Engineering costs have been identified.

A400M Aircraft: Companies

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a breakdown of every (a) company and (b) region of the UK that works on the A400M programme; and if he will publish the proportion of work each (a) company and (b) region is responsible for in relation to that programme.

Alec Shelbrooke: The top-level supply chain in the UK for the A400M airframe, engine and support arrangements is as follows:• Airbus Defence and Space - Filton, Bristol; RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.• GKN Aerospace - Filton, Bristol.• Rolls Royce - Filton, Bristol.• SAFRAN Landing Systems - Gloucester, Gloucestershire.• Thales - Crawley, West Sussex.The UK content of the aircraft is approximately 18% across the airframe and engine.The supply chain for the A400M is managed by the prime contractor, Airbus Defence and Space and accordingly, the Ministry of Defence does not hold comprehensive information on lower tier suppliers or the proportion of work allocated to each company and region.

Hercules Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the air mobility fleet is made up of C-130J aircraft.

Alec Shelbrooke: Hercules C-130J aircraft comprise some 22 per cent of the RAF's Air Mobility Force.

A400M Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total capacity of the A400M aircraft; and what proportion of that capacity has been utilised on average in each month since March 2021.

Alec Shelbrooke: The Atlas C.1 A400M is a versatile cargo aircraft which can be utilised in a broad series of configurations and is able to offer a troop-carrying as well as a flexible freight lift capability. That being so it is requested that the right hon. Member's Question be reframed to indicate what specific aspect of the aircrafts capability is being queried in this instance.

BOWMAN Combat Radio System

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the current out of service date for the Bowman communications system.

Alec Shelbrooke: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 October 2022 to Question 62726 to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones). This referred back to the answer given on 8 September 2021, to Question 40637.BOWMAN Combat Radio System (docx, 18.1KB)

Navy: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 59440 on Navy: Training, whether other companies were contracted as part of the Project Selborne contract alongside Capita Business Services Ltd.

Alec Shelbrooke: The following contractors are Tier one sub-contractors to Capita Business Services Ltd for the delivery of the Selborne contract: Raytheon UK, Fujitsu, Elbit Systems UK Ltd and University of Lincoln.

Ministry of Defence: Contracts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the effect of the Chancellor's financial statement on 23 September 2022, whether his Department has incurred additional cost on contracts with US companies due to fluctuations in the value of the pound.

Alec Shelbrooke: The Department continues to monitor recent fluctuations in currency markets and has built appropriate levels of contingency and risk to protect our budget - and by extension our contracts with our suppliers - from short term volatility, including through forward purchase arrangements.

Ministry of Defence: Theft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what items of what value have been stolen from which of his Department's sites in the past 12 months; and whether the items are lethal or non-lethal.

Alec Shelbrooke: The Ministry of Defence works hard to detect and deter theft and there are robust processes in place to raise awareness of the need for vigilance in all aspects of security. A confidential hotline is the central reporting point for all fraud, theft, suspected theft and financial irregularity. The information requested concerning stolen items, will take time to collate and I will write to the right hon. Member.

Cadets and Reserve Forces: Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to increase awareness of the potential merits of joining the Reserve Forces and Cadets in Northern Ireland.

Sarah Atherton: The single Services have provided the following information: Royal Navy Based in Lisburn, HMS Hibernia is Northern Ireland's Royal Naval Reserve Unit. This Unit has a proactive recruiting posture and is regularly represented in colleges and careers fairs, as well as through online recruiting events. HMS HIBERNIA has also participated in Northern Ireland Armed Forces Day activities, as well as delivering Employer Engagement events.The Royal Navy Cadet Forces are well represented in Northern Ireland with three units of the Combined Cadet Force and eleven units of the Sea Cadet Corps (SCC) across the Province, and a further two SCC units currently under consideration. British Army Advertising opportunities in Northern Ireland for Army roles takes shape in the exact same way as it does in the rest of the UK. In addition, the Army's Recruiting Group support three large events in Northern Ireland which cover both Regular and Reserve streams, providing recruiting literature which is specific to Northern Ireland. At a tactical level, the Army's Recruiting Group provides unit-specific recruiting literature and the last order saw around 15,000 personalised leaflets sent to units in Northern Ireland.For Cadets, the #NoFilter campaign to recruit both new Cadets and adult volunteers ran for two weeks in Northern Ireland in February 2022, using outdoor media, streamed radio advertising and social media targeting. There was a marked increase in applications submitted during the two weeks the campaign was run. Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Officer Northern Ireland has an extensive, ongoing, regional Engagement Strategy to raise awareness of the RAF in Northern Ireland, often using 502 (Ulster) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force in its delivery. This provides the RAF Reserves with the opportunity to show who they are, tell their story, and highlight the benefits of Reserve Service. Activity and events that raise awareness are underpinned by regional recruiting and selecting radio advertisements and national television adverts which also promote the opportunities and benefits.There is also a continual focus on promoting the benefits, values and experience that Royal Air Force Air Cadet membership brings to youth in Northern Ireland, as well as a direct effort to enlarge the footprint of Cadet units.

Ministry of Defence: Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.

Sarah Atherton: Departmental spend on taxi cabs for Ministers has been recorded as £92.30 for 2021 and £50.40 for 2022. There was no recorded spend for 2020.Information regarding spend on taxi cabs for civil servants is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The current civil travel expense system does not have a specific category for taxi claims and cannot be distinguished from any other mode of public transport.

Defence: Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the appointment of a new Chancellor of Exchequer on 14 October 2022, whether his Department expects an increase in defence spending to 2.5% per cent of GDP by 2026.

Mr Ben Wallace: Information regarding the Government's spending plans are currently due to be announced on 31 October and it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Defence to provide these in advance.

Multi-role Ocean Surveillance Ship

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on his Department’s procurement of multi-role surveillance vessels.

Mr Ben Wallace: I meet regularly with the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss a range of topics. The Ministry of Defence is leading the procurement of the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ships. While I have not met with the Secretary of State for Transport to specifically discuss this procurement, officials from both Departments did discuss the programme during the development of the National Maritime Security Strategy.

China: Armed Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the matter of UK pilots providing training for the Chinese Air Force was raised during his visit to the United States.

Mr Ben Wallace: I did not raise this specific issue. During the visit, I discussed a wide range of shared threats and global challenges with US counterparts. However, the issue of serving and former UK Service Personnel providing training to People's Liberation Army pilots remains of utmost importance and the Ministry of Defence is taking decisive steps to deter such activity.

China: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he was first informed that ex-Armed Forces personnel were being hired by the Chinese Government to train the Chinese armed forces.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when Government officials were first informed that ex-Armed Forces personnel were being hired by the Chinese Government to train the Chinese armed forces.

James Heappey: The recruitment of ex-Service pilots in order to understand our capabilities has been a concern within the Ministry of Defence for a number of years. However, we are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to headhunt serving and former UK Armed Forces pilots to train People's Liberation Army personnel in China. All serving and former personnel are already subject to the Official Secrets Act, and we are reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and non-disclosure agreements across Defence, while the new National Security Bill will create additional tools to tackle contemporary security challenges, including this one.

Military Aircraft: Crew

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full-time pilots were in place who fly (a) fast jet, (b) other fixed wing and (c) rotary craft in each of the three regular services as of 18 October 2022.

James Heappey: The information requested on the number of Armed Forces personnel who are trained pilots is being withheld to avoid releasing details of our capabilities to adversaries. The Armed Forces have sufficient trained personnel to meet the operational requirement.

Military Aircraft: Crew

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many qualified part-time pilots of (a) fast jet, (b) other fixed wing and (c) rotary aircraft there are in the (i) Royal Naval Reserve, (ii) Army and (iii) Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

James Heappey: The information requested on the number of part-time Armed Forces personnel who are trained pilots is being withheld to avoid releasing details of our capabilities to adversaries. The Armed Forces have sufficient trained personnel to meet their operational requirements.

Ukraine: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts regarding the potential for collaborating with EU countries aiming to train 15,000 Ukrainian troops.

James Heappey: Defence Ministers regularly discuss the provision of support to Ukraine with our European partners and NATO Allies.We welcome the EU's announcement of a new training scheme for Ukrainian personnel, and have worked closely with EU partners to share our knowledge and experience to help shape this new scheme.A number of EU countries will continue to support the UK-led programme to train Ukrainian personnel in Britain. As of 20 October 2022, we have already trained more than 7,000 Ukrainian personnel in the UK, with an ambition for another 20,000 in 2023. We will work together to ensure the schemes remain complementary and best respond to the requirements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Air Force: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many multi-engine flying training course slots were taken by (a) new students, (b) fast jet or rotary students who were re-streaming, (c) multi-engine students restreaming from a multi-engine operational conversion unit, (d) qualified multi-engine pilots changing to a different type and (e) pilots undergoing refresher training in 2021.

James Heappey: The information below is in relation to individuals who have completed multi engine flying training courses across the Military Flying Training System (MFTS) and Operation Conversion Units (OCU) in Financial Year 2021-2022.  (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)MFTS30~n/a~-Air Mobility OCUs20~-1010Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) OCUs10~-10~ In accordance with the Data Protection Act and our obligations in relation to the protection of confidentiality when handling personal data, data have been rounded to the nearest 10, where "-" denotes zero and "~" denotes a number less than or equal to 5. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Defence Equipment: Dual Use Goods and Technologies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps his Department has taken to identify academic partnerships involved in the development of dual-use technologies with possible malign or military applications.

James Heappey: Defence can become aware of partnerships of concern through a number of engagement and horizon-scanning activities. The Department works closely with academia and other Government Departments, including BEIS and the new Research Collaboration and Advice Team, to educate universities about security risks and manage risks associated with academic collaborations.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding is allocated for Operation Interflex; and when that funding is projected to last until.

James Heappey: Due to the ongoing nature of the conflict and for reasons of operational security, it would be inappropriate to release this information at this time. The Department will continue to provide details of specific measures of support to Ukraine at suitable points in time.

F-35 Aircraft: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the average time between beginning the Lightning II operational conversion course and achieving Combat Ready status.

James Heappey: The average time between beginning the Lightning operational conversion course and achieving Combat Ready status is 20 Months.

European Space Agency

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he had personally had with the European Space Agency ahead of the Ministerial Council Meeting in November 2022.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to attend the European Space Agency’s Ministerial Council meeting in November 2022.

James Heappey: The European Space Agency (ESA) is a civil space organisation and the Government's engagement with ESA is led by BEIS and the UK Space Agency. As such, the Secretary of State for Defence has not held discussions with ESA. The Minister for Science and Investment Security will represent the UK at the ESA Ministerial Council Meeting on 22-23 November.

UK Space Command: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian and military personnel are working within the Space Directorate.

James Heappey: The Space Directorate currently comprises 14 posts in total, of which nine are designated civilian posts and five are designated military posts.

Multi-role Ocean Surveillance Ship

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on acquiring the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ships; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost of this project.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his department has made on (a) designing and (b) building a new multi-role surveillance vessel; and what estimate he has made of the potential cost of that project.

Alec Shelbrooke: Commercial discussions are currently taking place in relation to the procurement of a Multi Role Ocean Surveillance capability. Divulging any further detail may prejudice these discussions at this time.Planning work has commenced for the concept and assessment phase of the project to design and build a Multi Role Ocean Surveillance capability.

Annington Homes

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a target time for the timeframe of completion of open work orders by Annington Homes Limited for Service Family Accommodation.

Alec Shelbrooke: Annington Homes Limited (AHL) do not maintain Service Family Accommodation (SFA).As of 13 October 2022, there were 13,910 SFA properties with open work orders for repairs, which DIO lease from AHL.Four Regional Accommodation Maintenance Services (RAMS) contracts held by Amey and VIVO, deliver repair and maintenance housing services to Service Personnel and their families.Under the contracts, there are three maintenance response categories, with corresponding target times for completion of works in SFA:Emergency (make safe resolution only) - respond and make safe within 2 hours. After the situation is made safe the repair will be given an Urgent or Routine category as appropriate.Urgent - The RAMS supplier (Amey or VIVO depending on region) will attend and fix the repair within 48 hours. This category applies when there is significant damage or defect, or imminent threat of substantial damage, to an SFA that make it unsuitable for habitation or is causing severe inconvenience or hardship to the residents.Routine - The RAMS supplier (Amey or VIVO depending on region) will attend and rectify the problem within 12 working days.Supplier performance is measured through average response times per category.

Annington Homes

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Answer of 19 October to Question 61728, if he will publish a breakdown of the nature of the 13,910 open work orders at Service Family Accommodation leased from Annington Homes Limited.

Alec Shelbrooke: A total breakdown of the 13,910 open work orders as of 19 October 2022 for Service Family Accommodation (SFA) leased from Annington Homes Limited could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Examples of tasks under these work orders include electrical, plumbing, joinery, roofing, pest control, decorating and grounds maintenance.

Multi-role Ocean Surveillance Ship: Crew

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship will be crewed by directly employed civilian seafarers who will be covered by collective agreements with maritime trade unions.

Alec Shelbrooke: Work is ongoing to consider the exact composition of the crew of the Multi-Role Surveillance Ship and a decision will be announced in due course.

USA: Army

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment the potential impact on British Army personnel of possible exposure to dangerous levels of contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987.

Sarah Atherton: An initial check of Army historical records has given no indication that Army personnel routinely trained at Camp Lejeune. If any UK Armed Forces veteran believes there is evidence that they were affected by this issue they can apply for War Pension Scheme Compensation via the GOV.UK website.

Armed Forces: Protective Clothing

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2022 to Question 61147, how many civil servants are employed in his Department on overseeing the storage of Personal Protective Equipment specific to the threat of covid-19.

Sarah Atherton: All Ministry of Defence (MOD) PPE, for whatever purpose, is stored and managed by the MOD’s delivery partner Team Leidos. It is considered a commodity with a shelf-life and as such is managed and maintained within the Logistic Commodities and Services Transformation (LCST) programme, as such there are no civil servants directly responsible for its receipt, storage and issue. There are however civil servants working in the Commissioning and Managing Organisation (CMO) within the DE&S that oversee the entirety of the contractual Key Performance Indicators for LCST.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the decision of the Information Commissioner of 28 September 2022 on the publication of the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit report in 2019 on the experiences of vulnerable people claiming Universal Credit, reference IC-145903-X8D9, if she will place copies of the (a) agendas and (b) minutes of the (i) Universal Credit Programme Delivery Executive and (ii) Move to UC Programme Delivery Executive Sub-group from the period since January 2018 in the House of Commons Library.

Victoria Prentis: The Department is currently reviewing the Information Commissioner’s decision.

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the decision of the Information Commissioner of 28 September 2022 on the publication of the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit report in 2019 on the experiences of vulnerable people claiming Universal Credit, reference IC-145903-X8D9, if she will undertake an urgent review of the decision of the Universal Credit Programme Team to not publish data and evidence of the experiences of those in receipt of Universal Credit when that was requested.

Victoria Prentis: The Department is currently reviewing the Information Commissioner’s decision.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times the National Telephone Service for Universal Credit has been used by (a) female and (b) prison leavers in each month since that service was introduced.

Victoria Prentis: (a) Information not held.(b) Call volumes to the Prison Leavers helpline are as follows:   Apr-20May-20Jun-20Jul-20Aug-20Sep-20Calls Offered *2,2384,0894,6864,5893,7183,985Calls Answered1,9463,8184,3483,5212,8232,982PCA87.0%93.4%92.8%76.7%75.9%74.8%Oct-20Nov-20Dec-20Jan-21Feb-21Mar-21Calls Offered4,2734,6194,8654,5234,5855,045Calls Answered3,8944,5674,6654,1264,4445,020PCA91.1%98.9%95.9%91.2%96.9%99.5%Apr-21May-21Jun-21Jul-21Aug-21Sep-21Calls Offered3,7032,9473,2853,0533,3854,106Calls Answered3,6622,9093,2362,9773,2373,581PCA98.9%98.7%98.5%97.5%95.6%87.2%Oct-21Nov-21Dec-21Jan-22Feb-22Mar-22Calls Offered3,8383,9303,9513,7913,6103,934Calls Answered3,6543,8093,7963,7133,4363,826PCA95.2%96.9%96.1%97.9%95.2%97.3%Apr-22May-22Jun-22Jul-22Aug-22Sep-22Calls Offered3,6443,7803,8583,5573,9033,571Calls Answered3,4303,4483,4943,2283,5353,318PCA94.1%91.2%90.6%90.8%90.6%92.9% *Calls Offered. The total volume of calls entering a queue to await answer. Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it his policy to raise Universal Credit and all other benefits in line with Consumer Prices Index.

Victoria Prentis: Following the publication of Average Weekly Earnings for May to July and the Consumer Prices Index for September by the Office for National Statistics, the Secretary of State will now commence her annual review of benefits including Universal Credit and State Pensions. Her decisions will be announced to Parliament shortly.

Universal Credit: Childcare

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of making retrospective payments for childcare costs to families claiming Universal Credit in the context of the cost-of-living crisis.

Victoria Prentis: Childcare is essential in enabling parents to enter employment and progress in work.Working families on Universal Credit can claim up to 85% of their monthly childcare costs, increased from 70% in legacy benefits, regardless of the hours worked. This equates to a maximum support of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children. Caimants who need help with upfront childcare costs to enter employment or significantly increase their working hours can apply for help from the Flexible Support Fund (FSF). This is a discretionary non-repayable payment that will pay their initial childcare costs directly to the provider up to the first salary received, up to the prescribed limits, for those eligible claimants.

Cost of Living: Lancaster

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an estimate of the level of reliance on charities in Lancaster and Fleetwood as a result of the increased cost of living.

Victoria Prentis: We recognise the global inflationary challenges and that people are concerned about pressures on household budgets. That is why, in England, an additional £421 million is being provided to extend the Household Support Fund from 01 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Guidance and individual local authority allocations for this further extension to the Household Support Fund have been shared with Local Authorities and will be published soon. Local Authorities have the ability to deliver the scheme through a variety of routes, including offering vouchers to households, directly providing food, or issuing grants to third parties including charities.

Employment and Training

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the debate entitled The future of work is here…, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 14 October 2022.

Victoria Prentis: The UK is committed to the protection and promotion of social rights. The UK has ratified the 1961 European Social Charter (ESC), the European Code of Social Security and numerous other international social rights instruments. The UK is fully committed to all of the Council of Europe instruments it has signed up to and engages constructively on the future of the world of work and the labour market at the Council of Europe. The UK Government has conducted its own review on the ‘Future of Work’ led by the hon. member for Boston and Skegness at the request of the previous Prime Minister. This review concluded in August 2022. The Government is considering the review’s recommendations. The recommendations from this report will be sent to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review following the ‘The future of work is here…’ debate of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the decision of the Information Commissioner of 28 September 2022 on the publication of the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit report in 2019 on the experiences of vulnerable people claiming Universal Credit, reference IC-145903-X8D9, if she will place a copy of the report in the House of Commons Library.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the decision of the Information Commissioner of 28 September 2022 on the publication of the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit report in 2019 on the experiences of vulnerable people claiming Universal Credit, reference IC-145903-X8D9, if she will place a copies of the (a) agendas, (b) minutes, and (c) dashboards of the monthly meetings of the Universal Credit Programme Board to 31 March 2022 in the House of Commons Library.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the decision of the Information Commissioner of 28 September 2022 on the publication of the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit report in 2019 on the experiences of vulnerable people claiming Universal Credit, reference IC-145903-X8D9, if she will publish an unredacted copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Universal Programme Board held on 22 October 2019.

Victoria Prentis: The Department is currently reviewing the Information Commissioner’s decision.

Employment: Menopause

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures the Government is taking to improve support in the workplace for menopausal employees in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency, (b) Liverpool City Region, (c) England and (d) across the UK.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure employers in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency, (b) Liverpool City Region, (c) England and (d) the UK fully support menopausal employees in their workplaces.

Victoria Prentis: The Department does not collect data on the impact of the menopause on employees leaving the workforce or reducing their hours. The former Minister for Employment commissioned the roundtable on older workers to look at the menopause and employment as an issue, emphasising the importance of the support and understanding by employers. An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July. Alongside this, and separately, The Women’s Health Strategy sets out a range of commitments including encouraging employers to implement evidence-based workplace support and introduce workplace menopause policies.

Employment: Menopause

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the impact of the menopause on employees leaving the workforce.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the impact of the menopause on employees reducing their working hours.

Victoria Prentis: The Department does not collect data on the impact of the menopause on employees leaving the workforce or reducing their hours. The former Minister for Employment commissioned the roundtable on older workers to look at the menopause and employment as an issue, emphasising the importance of the support and understanding by employers. An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July.

Finance: Older Workers

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish her Department's evaluation of the Mid-life MOT pilots undertaken in 2021.

Alex Burghart: A formal evaluation of the 2021 tests was not undertaken, as this was not appropriate given their small scale. However, informal learning from the project has informed the design of the expanded delivery of Mid-Life MOT approaches through both private sector-led and Jobcentre Plus-led pilots, which we will be monitoring to understand their effectiveness.

Finance and Personal Savings

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish any evaluation made by her Department of the effectiveness of mid-life MOT initiatives prior to the expansion of its own mid-life MOT programme in July 2022.

Alex Burghart: A formal evaluation of the 2021 tests was not undertaken, as this was not appropriate given their small scale. However, informal learning from the project has informed the design of the expanded delivery of Mid-Life MOT approaches through both private sector-led and Jobcentre Plus-led pilots, which we will be monitoring to understand their effectiveness.

Finance: Older Workers

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to take steps to further expand testing of the Mid-life MOT programme.

Alex Burghart: In the winter 2021 budget, DWP secured more than £5m to deliver new work to expand and improve the Mid-Life MOT offer across three new workstreams. The three workstreams are (1) developing and and enhancing the Government’s digital MOT offering; (2) delivering Mid-life MOTs through our UK network of Job Centre Plus offices; and (3) launching a face-to-face Mid-life MOT programme delivered through employers and direct to employees in three pilot areas (the North East of England; Cornwall & Devon; and East Anglia), via providers to be identified through a commercial exercise. These new measures are part of DWP’s £22 million package to help over 50s find new careers and earn more money, including by boosting time with Work Coaches and bringing in specialist support.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the communications issued by her Department on the State Pension age changes to women born in the 1950s.

Alex Burghart: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s investigation into the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”. It would be inappropriate to comment whilst the investigation is ongoing.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to protect single, female pensioners who believe they were given inadequate notice of State Pension age changes during the winter months.

Alex Burghart: This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it, including when they near or reach retirement. Support is available to those who are unable to work or are on a low income but are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age. Support is also available to those who are on a low income but have reached State Pension age. The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. That is why the government is providing over £15bn in further support targeted particularly on those with the greatest need. This package is in addition to the over £22bn announced previously, with government support for the cost of living now totalling over £37bn this year. This means that eight million low-income households will get £1,200 of one-off support in total this year to help with the cost of living, with all domestic electricity customers receiving at least £400 through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.  The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs, and the Chancellor made clear it will continue to do so from now until April next year.

State Retirement Pensions

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effects of a real terms reduction to state pensions from April 2023 on pensioner poverty.

Alex Burghart: The Government has committed to implementing the Triple Lock for the remainder of this Parliament. Under this Government, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension has risen by over £2,300, in cash terms. That’s £720 more than if it had been uprated by Prices, and £570 more than if it had been uprated by earnings since 2010

State Retirement Pensions

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on taking steps to reduce delays in the State Pension system.

Alex Burghart: DWP does not have any UK State Pension claims outstanding where payment is due, other than for those customers where further information is required or evidence is awaited.

Attendance Allowance

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mechanism her Department uses to determine Attendance Allowance rates for people of state pension age or over who have long-term conditions such as Parkinson’s.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Attendance Allowance for supporting people of state pension age or over who have (a) Parkinson's disease and (b) other long-term conditions.

Alex Burghart: Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs after they reach State Pension age. It provides a contribution towards the extra costs they face because of those care or supervision needs. It is also paid in addition to other support they may receive, whether that be through benefits, the NHS or Local Authorities. Recipients will include people who have long-term health conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease. Entitlement to Attendance Allowance is based upon the care needs that the person may have as a result of their disability and is not specifically linked to the disability itself. Attendance Allowance is paid at different rates, with the higher rate paid to those who need help or supervision throughout both day and night. Most awards are made for an indefinite period, recognising it is a benefit intended to help those with long term care needs. Those getting the higher rate are receiving around £4800 a year, tax free, which can be paid in addition to other support a pensioner may receive such as the State Pension and Pension Credit. And the Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs, and the Chancellor has made clear it will continue to do so from now until April next year. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes a one-off payment of £300 through, and as an addition to, the Winter Fuel Payment from November to pensioner households.

Low Incomes: Private Rented Housing

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help support low income private renters with the cost of living.

Alex Burghart: The Government announced over £37bn of cost of living support earlier this year which includes an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. This is in addition to the energy bill support announced in September. In the private rented sector, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. In April 2020 Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local rents. This significant investment of nearly £1 billion provided 1.5 million claimants with an average £600 more housing support in 2020/21 than they would otherwise have received.LHA rates have been maintained at their increased levels since then, so that everyone who benefitted from the increase will continue to do so. For those who require additional support with housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. Since 2011 we have provided almost £1.5 billion in DHPs to local authorities. The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs, and the Chancellor made clear it will continue to do so from now until April next year. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. Also included is an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Pension Protection Fund: Compensation

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing inflationary increases on compensation payments for the period before 6 April 1997 from the Pension Protection Fund.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing the 2.5 per cent cap on inflationary increases on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund for payments after 6 April 1997.

Alex Burghart: While all legislation is kept under review as a matter of course, there are currently no plans to review the PPF indexation rules, or indeed the wider legislation to which they relate. The Secretary of State has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so at this time.

Winter Fuel Payment: Inflation

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what conversations she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of increasing winter fuel payments in line with inflation.

Alex Burghart: This winter the winter fuel payment will include the pensioner cost of living payment of £300 per household. The conventional sums of £200/£300 will be increased to £500 for a household with someone of State Pension age and £600 for a household with someone aged 80 or over.

Local Housing Allowance: Private Rented Housing

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates on the ability of private renters to pay rent.

Alex Burghart: Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas. For Great Britain in May 2022, 55% of the households on LHA had rents higher than the LHA rates. For these households the average gap was £146 per month. In April 2020 LHA rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local rents. This investment of nearly £1 billion provided 1.5 million claimants with an average £600 more housing support in 2020/21 than they would otherwise have received. LHA rates have been maintained at their increased levels since then, so that everyone who benefitted from the increase will continue to do so. For those who require additional support with housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 we have provided almost £1.5 billion in DHPs.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Chancellor's statement on 17 October 2022, whether she plans to maintain the triple lock on pensions.

Alex Burghart: The Government has committed to implementing the Triple Lock for the remainder of this Parliament. Under this Government, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension has risen by over £2,300, in cash terms. That’s £720 more than if it had been uprated by Prices, and £570 more than if it had been uprated by earnings since 2010.

Pension Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to National Audit Office's Department for Work & Pensions Departmental Overview 2021-22, for what reason her Department spent less on Pension Credit in the 2021-22 financial year than the previous financial year.

Alex Burghart: The Pension Credit caseload continues to decrease year-on-year. This trend is reflected in the decrease in expenditure between 2020/21 and 2021/22 (from around £5bn to £4.8bn). The falling caseload is due to a number of factors, including, since 2010, the increase in the Pension Credit qualifying age, which is linked to women’s State Pension age; the introduction of the new State Pension on 6 April 2016, and the abolition of the savings credit component for those reaching State Pension on or after that date.

Workplace Pensions

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of trust-based defined contribution pension scheme accounts there are as of 20 October 2022.

Alex Burghart: This department does not collect that information. However, statistics on trust-based defined contribution pension schemes is collected by The Pensions Regulator and can be viewed at: https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/dc-trust-scheme-return-data-2021-2022

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the changes to the State Pension age on women born in the 1950's, in the context of increases in the cost of living.

Alex Burghart: No such assessment will be made. The Government has put in place arrangements to support people with the cost of living crisis. Government support for the cost of living now totals over £37 billion this year. This includes a £650 cost of living payment (paid in two payments of £326 and £324) which has been designed to target support at low-income households on means-tested benefits including Pension Credit. This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it, including when they near or reach retirement. Support is available to those who are unable to work or are on a low income but are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age. Support is also available to those who are on a low income but have reached State Pension age.

Cold Weather Payments: Energy

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the provision of Cold Weather Payments during the energy crisis.

Alex Burghart: The Secretary of State regularly meets with Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of topics. The Cold Weather Payment scheme makes an important contribution towards the additional costs of heating for every week of severe cold weather, between 1 November and 31 March. It is targeted at those in receipt of certain income-related benefit, to ensure the support reaches the most vulnerable.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Conservation Areas: EU Law

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Retained EU Law Bill on (a) Special Protection Areas and (b) Special Areas of Conservation.

Trudy Harrison: We have been clear about the importance of environmental protection across the United Kingdom, not least through our world leading Environment Act, which includes a legally binding target to halt the decline of nature by 2030.Earlier this year we published a Nature Recovery Green Paper, setting out proposals to reform our system of protections, including the Habitats Regulations. The Nature Recovery Green Paper consultation closed in May and we are now in the process of analysing responses and will publish a response on conclusion of this exercise.Defra is carefully considering the scope of the delegated powers in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, and whether they can be used to deliver a better, bespoke British system of nature protections to replace the provisions in the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended).

Forests: Capital Investment

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the announcement on 24 September 2022 of Investment Zones, whether existing protections for ancient woodlands and trees will be maintained in those zones.

Trudy Harrison: Making sure that our ancient woodlands are adequately protected and suitably managed to provide a wide range of social, environmental and economic benefits to society remains a key commitment of HM Government. The National Planning Policy Framework states that development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees) should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists. Natural England and the Forestry Commission have published ‘standing advice’ for ancient woodland, ancient trees and veteran trees. It is a material planning consideration for local planning authorities and as such should be taken into account when making planning decisions that affect ancient woodland, ancient trees or veteran trees. HM Government has also recently updated the new Keepers of Time policy, providing updates to HM Government’s policy to recognise the value of England’s ancient and native woodlands and ancient and veteran trees. It restates our commitment to evaluate the threats facing these habitats and sets out our updated principles and objectives to protect and improve them for future generations.

Trees

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage tree planting and conservation work.

Trudy Harrison: We are committed to planting and establishing 30,000 hectares of new woodland every year in the United Kingdom by the end of this Parliament, backed by the £675 million Nature for Climate Fund. While implementing policy and funding to increase tree planting rates to meet tree planting and net zero targets, we must make sure the right tree is planted in the right place and provides a net benefit to the environment. The England Trees Action Plan, published in May 2021, set out our plans to deliver our tree planting targets in England, and to make sure that we maximise the benefits of those trees for people, nature and the economy. As well as establishing new woodlands, we recognise the importance of protecting existing woodlands. We have recently updated the new Keepers of Time policy, providing updates to policy to recognise the value of England’s ancient and native woodlands and ancient and veteran trees. Our Woodlands Into Management innovation funds awarded over £600,000 to successful applicants last year, helping to restore vulnerable woodland habitats, support woodlands to adapt to a changing climate and recover from the impacts of pests and diseases by stimulating innovation. We also recognise the challenges to our trees and woodlands from rising deer populations and the effect of grey squirrels. This is why work is already underway to address these pressures through the development of a Woodland Resilience Implementation Plan, a national deer management strategy and updating the Grey Squirrel Action Plan.

Environment Protection

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen environmental protections.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to repeal any environmental protections in the current Parliament.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce new environmental protections in this Parliament.

Trudy Harrison: We have been clear about the importance of environmental protection across the United Kingdom, not least through our world leading Environment Act, which includes a legally binding target to halt the decline of nature by 2030.  We are committed to meeting this target and will not undermine our obligations to the environment in pursuit of growth.Earlier this year we published a Nature Recovery Green Paper, setting out proposals to reform our system of protections, including the Habitats Regulations. The Nature Recovery Green Paper consultation closed in May and we are now in the process of analysing responses.

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 12 January 2022 to Question 102540 on Air Pollution, what progress his Department has made on its review of the way air quality information and advice is communicated to the public.

Trudy Harrison: The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is continuing to work with the UK Health Security Agency on a holistic review of how air quality information is communicated. Since the 12th of January 2022 progress includes:Four full steering group meetings.formation of 5 working groups within the steering group to rapidly progress work streams.Based on early recommendations from the steering group, HM Government is in the process of commissioning several pieces of research to be completed by this financial year.

Air Pollution: Standards

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to integrate the World Health Organisation's guidelines on air quality into his policy.

Trudy Harrison: We are taking an evidence-led approach to set targets which are stretching, achievable and appropriate for our national circumstances. Our evidence indicates that a level of 5 μgm-3 would be impossible to achieve in many locations due to the level of natural PM2.5 and pollution blown in from outside the country. Even in the absence of all man-made emissions of PM2.5 from within the UK, modelling indicates that concentrations of PM2.5 would still likely exceed 5 μgm-3. The cost-benefit-analysis, which assesses the merits of setting a more ambitious target, has been published within the evidence pack. In setting our targets, we are also taking into account the more than 180,000 responses received to the environmental targets consultation from a range of individuals and organisations.

Recycling and Waste: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on their approach to tackling waste and recycling.

Trudy Harrison: Waste is a devolved policy and the devolved administrations have their own arrangements for household recycling and waste collections. My officials engage regularly with Welsh officials to update on progress on recycling policy across both administrations.We are introducing extended producer responsibility for packaging across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and a deposit return scheme across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Waste is also part of the Common Frameworks arrangements put in place to manage a United Kingdom-wide approach to policy now that we have left the European Union. As part of these arrangements, we engage with officials in the Welsh government on a regular basis.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his French counterpart on their approach to improving air quality.

Trudy Harrison: The United Kingdom engages France on efforts to improve air quality via membership to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution. Both France and the United Kingdom have ratified the 2012 amended Gothenburg Protocol which sets mutually agreed emission reduction targets for 5 key pollutants for 2020 and beyond.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his German counterpart on their approach to improving air quality.

Trudy Harrison: The United Kingdom engages Germany on efforts to improve air quality via membership to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution. Both Germany and the United Kingdom have ratified the 2012 amended Gothenburg Protocol which sets mutually agreed emission reduction targets for 5 key pollutants for 2020 and beyond.

Incinerators: Air Pollution

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Environment Agency's enforcement towards incineration sites that breach public health guidelines on air quality.

Trudy Harrison: No exceedances of air quality standards by modern incinerators that are subject to environmental permits have been identified by the Environment Agency. There has been no recent specific assessment of the effectiveness of the Environment Agency’s enforcement towards incineration sites. The Environment Agency are satisfied that they have an effective risk-based policy for delivering effective enforcement action under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, 2016.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding available to local government to improve air quality.

Trudy Harrison: Latest published figures show that air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010. Emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 44% - and are at their lowest level since records began, sulphur dioxide emissions have fallen by 70% and fine particulate matter emissions are down 18%. However, HM Government recognises that there is more to do to protect people and the environment from the effects of air pollution.Local authorities have a critical role to play in tackling air pollutants. That is why we are providing £883 million to help local authorities develop and implement local NO2 reduction plans. As part of our commitment to making walking and cycling the natural choice for millions more journeys, we have invested more than £2 billion in funding for cycling and walking over this Parliament. In addition, we have committed over £2.8 billion funding to support local authorities in rolling out electric vehicle charging infrastructure to tackle tailpipe emissions.Since 2010, we have allocated more than £42 million in funding to local authorities in England to support air quality projects in local communities and reduce emissions affecting schools, businesses, and communities. We expect to allocate at least £7 million in the 2023 round, for which applications have now closed. Successful applicants will be announced early next year.We will also be providing funding up to £2.3 million to local authorities with Smoke Control Areas for measures introduced through our landmark Environment Act 2021 to improve the enforcement and management of smoke emissions in smoke control areas in England.

Recycling: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the merits of the recycling policies of the Welsh Government.

Trudy Harrison: Waste is a devolved policy and the devolved administrations have their own arrangements for household recycling and waste collections.We have worked closely with the Welsh Government on the development of proposals for extended producer responsibility for packaging and a deposit return scheme.

Fires: Carmarthenshire

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the fire at the recycling centre in Bynea, Carmarthenshire.

Trudy Harrison: United Kingdom Government Ministers have not had any discussions with the Welsh Government on this subject. Although waste is a devolved matter Ministers are always open to discussions if Ministers from Devolved Administrations wish to discuss specific issues.

Avian Influenza: Poultry

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of H5N1 avian flu on the availability of (a) turkeys and (b) geese during in December 2022.

Mark Spencer: The United Kingdom poultry sector is highly resilient and plays a significant role in the production of high-quality turkeys and geese for our consumers.The United Kingdom is currently experiencing the largest outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) with over 200 cases confirmed across the country in poultry and other captive birds since October 2021. During the period 1 st-18 th October 2022, circa 315,000 turkeys and 17,000 geese have been affected (died and culled) because of AI.We recognise that these outbreaks are very distressing for the individual turkey and geese farmers and businesses affected. However, the overall impact on food supply is relatively small, with approximately 10 million turkeys and 200,000 geese usually sold in the United Kingdom over the Christmas period.Defra's objective in tackling any outbreak of Avian Influenza is to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. Our approach considers the latest ornithological, epidemiological, veterinary and other scientific advice. Where necessary we are also able to declare Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) and mandatory housing measures within AIPZs to limit the spread of the disease.Effective biosecurity combined with good flock management and husbandry practices is key to ensuring good health and welfare for all farmed animals and to limit the spread and eradication of this disease. Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist have been published by Defra to assist all bird keepers in instigating and maintaining good biosecurity including compliance with the mandatory AIPZ measures.

Farmers: Termination of Employment

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of farmers that have left the profession in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year since 2010.

Mark Spencer: We do not collect data on the numbers of farmers who leave the industry each year so no data is available for England. Agriculture is a devolved matter so we cannot provide comment on whether any Welsh data exists.

Environmental Land Management Schemes: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the total amount forecast to be spent on Environmental Land Management schemes his Department plans to spend with individuals and businesses who previously received direct payments broken down by payments (a) under £30,000, (b) £30,000-£50,000, (c) £50,000-£150,000 and (iv) more than £150,000 in each of the next three years.

Mark Spencer: We plan to open the environmental land management schemes to the full range of farmers and landowners.Under the Agriculture (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2021 we will shortly be publishing details of payments made to beneficiaries for new financial assistance schemes (unless they have received below the de-minimus of £1250). The searchable database will show payments made in the 2021/22 financial year. Payments to beneficiaries made under the Basic Payment Scheme are published in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) database: Defra, UK - CAP Payments Search. We expect to do similar publications each year.

Environmental Land Management Schemes: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much is forecast to be spent on Environmental Land Management scheme programmes in each year to 2030.

Mark Spencer: We will not have fixed allocations (or 'pillars', as they were known whilst we were in the EU) of money ring-fenced to different schemes. Instead, we will learn as we go and find the best ways to manage the overall budget to respond to demand in a way that helps us achieve our intended outcomes. This means we will keep the allocation of funding between different schemes under review over time.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Railways

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent on first class train travel for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in (i) 2020, (i) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Mark Spencer: The tables below set out the expenditure on first class train travel in each of the given years.(a) MinistersYearTotal Cost (£)Number of Journeys2020£56432021£28522022 to date£00(b) Civil ServantsYearTotal Cost (£)Number of Journeys2020£1,550132021£2,066132022 to date£3,34520The department's travel and subsistence policy permits first class travel in a very limited number of circumstances, such as accompanying a Minister or due to a disability. Such travel requires a strong business justification and prior approval by a senior civil servant.

Farmers

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of farmers in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year since 2010.

Mark Spencer: Statistics on the number of farmers (including full time, part time; and farmers, partners, directors and spouses) are available for England at Agricultural workforce in England at 1 June - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Agriculture is a devolved matter so Defra are only responsible for collecting data on English farms.Agricultural workforceYearFarmers, partners, directors and spouses (number of people)2010170,4782011174,1932012173,1242013171,6232014173,6972015173,9632016173,0832017174,7652018178,1282019179,8722020181,8952021179,0292022179,769

Waste Disposal: Crime

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is on track to eliminate waste crime by 2043.

Trudy Harrison: HM Government is committed to tackling waste crime and we are preparing significant reforms to continue to increase the pressure on illegal waste operators. Our planned electronic waste tracking reforms will make it harder than ever to misidentify waste or dispose of it inappropriately. Planned changes to the Carriers, Brokers and Dealers licensing regime will modernise licensing and make it harder still for rogue operators to escape detection. We have also consulted on reforming waste exemptions which are often used to hide criminal activity, and will publish our response later this year. These will come in addition to measures in the Environment Act 2021 which gives agencies stronger powers of entry and access to evidence in prosecuting waste crime, and existing powers we have already given the regulator in recent years to tackle illegal waste sites, including the ability to lock sites and to force rogue operators to clean up all their waste As per our commitment in our landmark Resources & Waste Strategy, the Joint Unit for Waste Crime has been set up to disrupt serious and organised waste crime and reduce its impact on the economy, the environment and local communities. Through shared intelligence and enforcement, the Joint Unit is identifying, disrupting and deterring criminals and making them pay for the damage they have done to communities and the environment. In the two years since the Joint Unit for Waste Crime launched it has worked with over 50 partner organisations and engaged in 74 multi-agency days of action, which have resulted in 52 associated arrests by other agencies.

Food Supply: Water Abstraction

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will instruct the Environment Agency to prioritise water for food production when assessing winter abstraction applications.

Trudy Harrison: The Environment Agency (EA) allocates water to abstractors through an abstraction licensing system to secure the proper and efficient use of water resources while having regard to the reasonable needs of all applicants. The EA abstraction licensing system does not favour one use of water over another.The EA is proactively working with the agricultural sector to provide additional access to water where needed, including by considering applications to abstract outside of normal licence conditions.Defra and the EA work closely with agricultural sector groups, including the National Farmers Union, on Farming Transformation Fund grants to be awarded for construction of new reservoirs.

Wind Power: Birds

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of birds that are killed by (a) off shore and (b) on shore wind turbines each year.

Trudy Harrison: The annual collisions of birds with individual windfarms are currently not assessed due to limitations in technology.Defra is working with other Government departments, marine regulators, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, industry, NGOs and academics to understand the impacts on seabirds more fully and to find ways to manage and mitigate them. This includes a project currently underway to explore the ability to use remote sensing technology to better understand the population impacts on seabird populations from offshore wind.We are also working with Natural England to develop a comprehensive and ambitious English Seabird Conservation and Recovery Plan, which will aim to assess the vulnerability of each seabird species in light of the pressures they are facing and propose actions to address them.

Wind Power: Birds

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding in the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research paper, Paint it black: Efficacy of increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce avian fatalities, by Roel May and others, published in Ecology and Evolution in July 2020, that the number of birds killed by wind turbines can be cut by 72% by coating one of the blades black; and if he will take steps to ensure that this measure is used in the UK.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the finding in the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research paper, Paint it black: Efficacy of increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce avian fatalities, by Roel May and others, published in Ecology and Evolution in July 2020, that the number of birds killed by wind turbines can be cut by 72% by coating one of the blades black, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on ensuring that wind turbines (a) procured for use and (b) manufactured in the UK are required to have a contrast third blade.

Trudy Harrison: We understand offshore wind developments have an environmental impact. Impacts on seabirds are of concern given the future acceleration of offshore wind to support the British Energy Security Strategy and the Growth Plan.Defra is working with other Government departments, marine regulators, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, industry, NGOs and academics to understand the impacts on seabirds more fully and to find ways to manage and mitigate them.Prompted by the findings of the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research's paper which focused on a terrestrial location, Natural England has recently published a report to determine the applicability of this mitigation approach at sea. In Marine birds: vision-based wind turbine collision mitigation, Natural England reviewed the use of black and white patterns on turbines and blades, considering how various bird species with differing visual capabilities can best detect them under a range of conditions at sea, and so avoid collisions.Defra is developing a suite of Offshore Wind Environmental Standards which aim to ensure that offshore wind farms are designed, constructed, operated, monitored and decommissioned in a way that minimises their impact on the marine environment. As part of this work, we will be further investigating the applicability of blade painting for offshore windfarms.

Environmental Services Association

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he last met representatives of the Environmental Services Association; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: Policy Officials regularly meet with representatives of the Environmental Services Association (ESA) formally and informally to discuss a range of policy matters. We also engage with the Environmental Services Association as part of our formal stakeholder engagement process. The ESA are a member of the Resources and Waste Strategy Stakeholder Advisory Group, which meets quarterly.

Wood Recyclers' Association

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he last met representatives of the Wood Recyclers’ Association.

Trudy Harrison: The new Ministerial team has not yet met with representatives of the Wood Recyclers Association.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on air quality in London.

Trudy Harrison: Earlier this year, my predecessor Jo Churchill MP met with the Mayor of London, as well as the Chief Medical Officer and Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah at the Mayor’s Air and Health Summit. At the summit attendees discussed the action required to drive down air pollution and its impacts on people’s health.

Environmental Land Management Schemes: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2022 to Question 35971 on Environmental Land Management Schemes, how much of the £2.5 billion expected to be spent in the current Parliament his Department (a) has spent and (b) is yet to spend on (i) the new Sustainable Farming Incentive, (ii) Countryside Stewardship, (iii) Local Nature Recovery and (iv) existing Environmental Stewardship agreements as of 19 October 2022.

Mark Spencer: We are expecting the profile of the approximately £2.5 billion to be 25% in 22-23, 31% in 23-24 and 44% in 24-25. The amount of expenditure increases year on year as reductions from Direct Payments are released and reallocated as new schemes are introduced.Most of the approximately £2.5 billion will be spent on Agri-Environment Schemes and Countryside Stewardship. The expenditure is naturally more heavily weighted towards the established schemes.Note that the majority of expenditure is not accounted for at the same time as payments are made. For example, we are making quarterly payments on Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements now, but the cost of that is not recognised until 23-24.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a stand-alone Clean Air Act.

Trudy Harrison: HM Government does not consider that a new Clean Air Act would add any benefit to our comprehensive existing air quality legal framework, which already allows us the powers and capability we need to make effective interventions to drive down air pollution. This includes the Environment Act 2021, under which we have consulted on two new targets for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) - the pollutant most harmful to human health. The primary focus of our new targets is to drive improvements to public health.

Birds: Conservation

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the RSPB on its decision to stop publishing its annual counts of the number of birds in its reserves.

Trudy Harrison: It is for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to decide how and when it publishes information collected from across its reserves, and as such, the Secretary of State has no plans to hold discussions with the RSPB on their internal decisions around publishing data.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish an update of the National Air Pollution Control Programme to set out the measures for the UK to meet its 2030 national emissions limits.

Trudy Harrison: A consultation on a revised National Air Pollution Control Plan was launched on 25th July 2022 and closed on 4th September 2022. The responses to the consultation are currently being carefully considered.

Environment Protection

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to track the Government’s delivery of commitments made upon under the 25 Year Environment Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: Monitoring of progress toward the ambitions and goals of HM Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan is set through annual progress reports. The most recent report was published and laid before Parliament in July 2022 as the first statutory report under Section 9 of the Environment Act (2021). 25 Year Environment Plan Annual Progress Report - April 2021 to March 2022 (publishing.service.gov.uk) The reports consider whether the natural environment has, or particular aspects of it, have, improved over the reporting period. The report also summarises actions taken and their contribution towards the Plan’s long-term ambitions. This covers actions having an impact on environmental improvement now, and actions enabling environmental improvement in the future.

Veterinary Medicine: Staff

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many veterinarians were practising in the UK in each year since 2010.

Scott Mann: The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons monitor the levels of veterinary surgeons registered to practice in the UK on a twice daily basis. The number of veterinary surgeons registered in the UK has gradually risen from 17,260 to 28,643 from March 2010 to October 2022. An annual breakdown can be found on the Royal College’s website (www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/publications/). The number of veterinary surgeons registered in the UK with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has risen from 17,260 to 28,643 as of October 2022: October 202228,643May 202126,645March 202026,200March 201925,870March 201824,422March 201723,220March 201622,009March 201520,571March 201419.682March 201318,891March 201218,413March 201117,817March 201017,260

Biodiversity

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to (a) protect and (b) increase the UK’s natural biodiversity.

Trudy Harrison: In the United Kingdom domestic biodiversity policy is devolved. The four nations work together to develop a collective response to United Kingdom wide goals and targets, such as the post-2020 global framework expected to be agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Fifteenth Conference of the Parties, COP15 in Montreal in December. We have taken unprecedented steps to protect and restore biodiversity in England, not least through our world leading Environment Act, which requires a new, legally binding target to be set in England to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, and introduces Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities to work together to protect our native species. We have also committed to protecting 30% of our land and sea by 2030 to better support and recover biodiversity, and have announced a landmark designation programme to help realise this. We published a Nature Recovery Green Paper earlier this year that sets out our initial thoughts on reforming protected sites and species protections to better drive nature’s recovery in England, including expanding and improving wider protected areas. In the last year in England, we have also created a new Somerset Wetlands super National Nature Reserve that will protect 6,140 hectares of precious habitats, launched the 21,000 hectare G7 Nature Recovery Legacy Project in Cornwall, in addition to 5 more landscape-scale projects that will help nature recover across an estimated 99,000 hectares and completed the Back from the Brink programme with 96 priority species moving towards recovery.

Chemicals

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the production of the UK’s Chemical Strategy.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including a ban on all non-essential uses of (a) Perfluoroalkyl and (b) Polyfluoroalkyl substances as part of the UK Chemical Strategy.

Trudy Harrison: In the UK REACH Work Programme for 2021-22, Defra asked the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive to examine the risks posed by Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and develop a 'Regulatory Management Options Analysis' (RMOA). The RMOA and other work across HM Government will help us assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform future policy and regulatory approaches. The RMOA will be published in due course and will make recommendations for risk management measures. Defra and the Devolved Administrations will carefully consider its recommendations to inform future PFAS policy.We have been engaging closely with external partners over the past few months to inform policy development across a range of chemicals issues. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to set out our strategy to tackling chemicals of concern. No publication date for a Chemicals Strategy has yet been set.

Nature Conservation

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to consult with environmental stakeholders on the implementation of the Government’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of land and sea for nature by 2030.

Trudy Harrison: HM Government is committed to protecting 30% of land and sea in the UK by 2030 (30 by 30).Achieving this will take collective endeavour and we want to work with partners across the country - from members of the public, the environmental sector, academics, farmers and landowners and the private sector - to deliver against this commitment.Earlier this year (May 2022) we consulted on our approach as part of the Nature Recovery Green Paper. In the Green Paper we set out our intention to establish a framework to assess whether protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures are contributing to nature recovery and where improvement is needed.We have reviewed responses and will be working closely with key partners as we develop our approach.

Floods: Maps

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the accessibility of maps of areas designated as Flood Zones (a) 2, (b) 3 and (c) 3b to the general public.

Trudy Harrison: Maps of areas designated as Flood zones 2 and 3 are publicly accessible for the whole of England through the Flood Map for Planning service on GOV.UK (Flood map for planning - GOV.UK (flood-map-for-planning.service.gov.uk). This service is for use in assessing flood risk at potential development sites, and is fully accessible in line with Government Digital Service requirements (Accessibility statement - Flood map for planning - GOV.UK (flood-map-for-planning.service.gov.uk) The Flood Map for Planning service does not separately denote areas of Flood Zone 3b (functional floodplain). This information is available in the relevant Local Planning Authority’s (LPA) Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA). These are usually freely available on council websites. Other flood risk information for all areas in England is also available to the public through our Check Your Long Term Flood Risk service (Check the long term flood risk for an area in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This includes flood risk information from rivers and the sea, surface water, reservoir and groundwater (where this is available). This is also fully accessible on GOV.UK (Accessibility statement for the Check your long term flood risk service - GOV.UK (check-long-term-flood-risk.service.gov.uk). Information can also be sought from Floodline by telephone on 0345 988 1188 or textphone on 0345 602 6340 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Convention on Biological Diversity

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of committing to a global deal for nature at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP 15.

Scott Mann: The decline of biodiversity is a global issue. Worldwide, we are losing biodiversity faster than ever before. This impacts global growth and security. The United Kingdom will support the adoption of an ambitious global biodiversity framework at COP15 containing goals and targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Building on our G7 and COP26 Presidencies and our co-chairship of key nature alliances, we will continue to support the Chinese Presidency and international community to make sure we make this year the ‘Paris moment’ for nature.

Marine Protected Areas: Fisheries

Dame Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban bottom trawling and the use of other bottom towed fishing gear in all offshore marine protected areas on a whole-site basis, rather than on a feature-based approach.

Trudy Harrison: Each Marine Protected Area (MPA) protects specific features, whether that is a particular species or a variety of different habitats. We have recently consulted on five candidate Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs). HPMAs would have the highest level of protection in English waters and would take a whole-site approach.98 MPAs in English inshore waters already have byelaws in place to protect sensitive features from damaging fishing activities and the first four offshore byelaws have now been established. A Call for Evidence on byelaws in 13 more MPAs has recently closed. Byelaws are developed using an evidence-led process to determine what measures are required to protect sites. Site by site assessments are carried out to tailor management measures and to avoid unnecessary restrictions on fishing. Only fishing activities which could damage the protected features of an MPA require management, such as trawling on the seabed. We aim to have protection in place for all our offshore MPAs by 2024.

Nature Conservation: Standards

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether current (a) standards and (b) duties in the Environment Act to meet the Government's target to halt species decline by 2030 will be maintained until they are superseded with stronger protections; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: HM Government remains fully committed to the standards and duties set out in the Environment Act. Duties such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities will drive action towards achieving our world-leading, legally binding target to halt the decline of species abundance by 2030. Legally binding targets and environmental standards have been key to improvements seen in areas such as air quality and recycling rates in recent decades. Environmental principles will ensure the environment is at the heart of government policy-making, while the Office for Environmental Protection will ensure that this government, and future governments, are held to account if they fail to uphold their environmental duties.

Trains: Electric Vehicles

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many four car motor electric units have been scrapped in each year since 2015.

Trudy Harrison: Defra does not hold that information. We collect data on vehicles scrapped each year to monitor whether producers are meeting the required recycling targets on the valuable resources contained in end-of-life vehicles. This information is not split by vehicle fuel type.

Walley's Quarry Landfill: Odour Pollution

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on tackling landfill gas and hydrogen sulphide emissions at Walleys Quarry since his appointment.

Trudy Harrison: I sympathise with local residents near Walleys Quarry who have had to put up with the awful odours from the landfill site. I receive weekly updates from Environment Agency about the progress being made at the site and I welcome the recent agreement between the operator and Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council in relation to the nuisance abatement order in place. I hope that the progress made there to contain, capture and destroy the gas produced is maintained over the winter.

Waste Management: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a timetable has been set for the Government to respond to the consultation on preventing charges for DIY waste at household waste recycling centres which closed on 4 July 2022.

Trudy Harrison: HM Government is currently considering responses following closure of the technical consultation on preventing charging for DIY waste at Household Waste & Recycling Centres (HWRCs). On 21 September we confirmed on gov.uk that we aim to publish the summary of responses and the HM Government response in autumn 2022.

Home Office

Asylum: Rwanda

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2022 to Question 60212, what activities were expected to be covered by the initial payment of £20 million for set-up costs; how many individuals have been employed on (a) fixed-term and (b) permanent contracts for this work in the last 12 months; and what further payments to Rwanda his Department expects to make before 31 December 2022.

Tom Pursglove: Under our Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda, the UK has provided Rwanda with an initial investment of £120m as part of a new Economic Transformation and Integration Fund. We do not expect to make further payments to Rwanda before 31 December 2022.We have also undertaken to provide funding to Rwanda for individuals relocated. This funding will cover asylum processing (case workers, translators etc), accommodation, healthcare, and for those granted protection, a comprehensive integration package. As part of this, the UK made a £20m upfront payment to the Government of Rwanda to support initial set up costs. The Government of Rwanda is responsible for the allocation of the funding they receive.Actual spend will be reported as part of the annual Home Office Reports and Accounts in the usual way.

Visas: Overseas Students

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recipients of international student visas are accompanied by (a) five and (b) six dependents.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office does not routinely publish data on the number of recipients of international student visas who are accompanied by dependants.Information on our immigration routes is available as part of our transparency data and can be found at: Visas and Citizenship data: Q2 2022.

Home Office: Location

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if they will publish a breakdown of the total payments made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has made no payments to civil servants during 2021 related to relocation costs from London to Government offices in regional areas.The Home Office Places for Growth Voluntary Relocation package was made available to Home Office business areas on 15th August 2022 and individuals can now apply to relocate from London to designated Places for Growth regional locations.

Schengen Agreement: ICT

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the debate entitled Misuse of the Schengen Information system by Council of Europe member States as a politically-motivated sanction, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 11 October 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The management of the external Schengen border, including through the application of the second generation of the Schengen Information System, is a matter for the European Union.

Migrant Workers: Employment

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of complaints received on the Employer Checking Service from (a) MPs offices, (b) employers, (c) people with leave to remain applying for employment and (d) other agencies; and what assessment she has made of the willingness of employers to use that service.

Tom Pursglove: The information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Immigration: Applications

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October to Question 59776 on Immigration: Applications, whether he plans to monitor the time taken to process 3C applications.

Tom Pursglove: All applications are monitored against the Service Level Agreement of the specific immigration route, regardless of whether the applicant does or does not hold 3C leave.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department plans to reply to the correspondence from the Rt hon. Member for East Ham of 17 June 2022, reference ST98385.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department plans to reply to the correspondence from the Rt hon. Member for East Ham of 16 June 2022, reference ST98538.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management Team responded to the correspondence on 21 October 2022

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timescale is for people to receive a response after submitting an application to the Homes for Ukraine scheme as of 18 October 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HM Passport Office: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when HM Passport Office will respond to the letters of 8 September and 4 October 2022 from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on behalf of constituent Christine Balson.

Tom Pursglove: The Director General of His Majesty’s Passport Office and UK Visas and Immigration responded on 18 October 2022

Home Office: Ministerial Changes

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to his Department was of the additional administration necessitated by the change of the Home Secretary on 19 October 2022.

Jeremy Quin: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Counter-terrorism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to tackle terrorism.

Tom Tugendhat: As Security Minister, countering-terrorism is one of my core responsibilities. I meet regularly with operational agencies to ensure they have the tool they need to keep the country safe.We recognise that our strategy must continue to evolve and we constantly review and adapt our response to maintain pace with the evolving threat. For example, I recently met victims of terrorism to discuss how we can improve protective security.

Domestic Abuse: Bank Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to safeguard domestic abuse victims against financial abuse in the event that they have a joint bank account with a perpetrator.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help support victims of domestic abuse who are unable to pay their bills due to sharing a joint bank account with an abuse perpetrator.

Mims Davies: The Government is committed to ensuring that all victims of domestic abuse receive the support they need, when they need it. We also know that abuse can often leave victims economically dependent on abusers, creating financial insecurity that makes it harder for them to access safety. The Government is determined to tackle this form of abuse which is why for the first time in history, economic abuse is now recognised in law as part of the statutory definition of domestic abuse, included in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (the Act). In the Domestic Abuse (DA) Plan, we have doubled funding to a minimum of £200,000 to further support improving the response to economic abuse.The DA Plan also highlights the importance of financial institutions signing up to UK Finance's Financial Abuse Code to support customers who are victims of economic abuse and encourages more institutions to do so. The Code sets out how participating banks and building societies should support customers who are victims of economic abuse, aims to increase awareness and provide understanding of what financial and economic abuse looks like and ensure consistency in the support available to help customers to understand and regain control of their finances.

Cybersecurity

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the contribution to national security and resilience by the UK’s cyber security industry; what steps his Department is taking to grow the volume and value of that contribution.

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps he has taken to progress his Department’s review of the Computer Misuse Act following the Call for Information his Department concluded in June 2021.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government is delivering an ambitious programme of work through the £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, including comprehensive support to the cyber industry to foster the growth of a sustainable, innovative and internationally competitive cyber and information security sector in order to raise the level of cyber resilience across the economy. The need for increased cyber resilience is real. In 2021, the UK ranked third behind the US and Ukraine in terms of incoming malicious cyber-activity linked to nation states (between July 2020 to June 2021).The Government is delivering programmes to improve the UK’s cyber resilience, such as investing in protecting public services, enforcing security standards to protect consumers, promoting best practice through Cyber Essentials certification, and raising awareness through the “Cyber Aware” campaign. The proportion of businesses suffering a cyber attack has decreased overall over the past five years, but 39% of businesses still suffered a breach within the past year.In 2021, cyber sector revenue exceeded £10 billion for the first time and the sector attracted over £1 billion of investment. To support innovators and entrepreneurs the government funds Cyber Runway, which has already helped over 200 cyber security companies develop and grow. To commercialise academic cyber research, the government funds CyberASAP which has spun out 20 companies and attracted significant investment.We work with local partners to drive the growth of the cyber sector across the UK and fund the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), a network of regional cyber clusters across the UK who help drive local skills and cyber sector innovation programmes linking to local growth opportunities.The UK has a number of geographic areas that host world class cyber capabilities, including Cheltenham where the government is supporting the development of the Golden Valley campus led by Cheltenham Borough Council dedicated to supporting the growth of cyber-related technology businesses and resulting wider growth potential.We are still considering the proposals put forward to the Call for Information, and we will inform Parliament shortly of the way forward on the review of the Computer Misuse Act.

Hezbollah

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in the UK have been prosecuted for belonging or professing to belong to Hezbollah since it was fully proscribed.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government takes proscription offences seriously. On 1 March 2019, the proscription was extended to cover the Hizballah group in its entirety.Data on arrests, charges and convictions for the section 11 Terrorism Act 2000 offence of belonging or professing to belong to a proscribed organisation is grouped with other proscription offences (sections 12 and 13 of the Act) in the quarterly Home Office publication ‘Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’. Data is not published on the specific proscribed organisation that the arrest, charge or conviction relates to.The most recent publication up to year ending June 2022, was published on 8 September 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000-quarterly-update-to-june-2022

Home Office: Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Quin: Determining the amount spent on taxi cabs in the last three years is not readily available from our management systems. This is because the cost information is not held in an easily identifiable format.Firstly, the Home Office does not have separate codes or fields for Ministers’ and Officials’ travel in our management systems. To identify ministers costs separately would require a manual review of all relevant records held by our travel provider over a three year time period.Secondly, many taxi journeys are also reimbursed via a manual expenses process. The information required to identify civil servant taxi claims is not easily distinguishable within the central financial system and a manual review of all these records would also be required.

Police Custody: Children

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of children taken into police custody were detained overnight in each reporting year since 2017.

Jeremy Quin: For the first time, information on the number of children detained in police custody, and whether they were detained overnight, is being collected by the Home Office.Data have not been received from all forces, but data that have been collected are scheduled for publication on 17 November 2022 in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical publication: Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022 - National statistics announcement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Domestic Abuse: Bank Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of local authorities on tackling financial abuse by perpetrators of domestic abuse.

Mims Davies: We know that many victims of domestic abuse suffer from economic abuse and that this can be part of a pattern of controlling or coercive behaviour. Economic abuse can make the individual economically dependent on the abuser, and/or create economic instability, limiting the victims’ options to escape and access safety.The draft updated Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Guidance, published April 2022, recognises the role of economic abuse within a pattern of controlling and coercive behaviour and has a dedicated section on economic abuse including examples of economic abuse, information on how to respond, guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority and signposting to relevant supporting services such as Surviving Economic Abuse.The Domestic Abuse (DA) Statutory Guidance, published in July 2022, also covers economic abuse, and provides support to professionals on how to safeguard and support victims of domestic abuse. The DA Statutory Guidance is aimed at statutory and non-statutory bodies working with victims and perpetrators, including local authorities. Both pieces of guidance were subject to public consultations which were aimed at local authorities, among others, with local authority representatives also attending focus groups on the DA Statutory Guidance.

Slavery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of victims of modern slavery.

Mims Davies: The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery. We are identifying more victims of modern slavery and doing more to bring perpetrators to justice than ever before.The Home Office works with a range of partners to deliver effective prevention activity and to stop exploitation from occurring in the first place. These include:Providing dedicated funding to policing to drive forward work to increase modern slavery prosecutions.Requiring large business to report on steps they have taken to tackle modern slavery in supply chains.Providing training for frontline responders to better prevent and spot the signs of modern slavery including ensuring operational colleagues such as Border Force recognise signs and are equipped to step in.Establishing a Modern Slavery Prevention Fund to fund organisations to deliver targeted prevention interventions and build up the evidence base on what interventions are most effective.Working upstream with international partners to reduce vulnerability to exploitation and strengthen law enforcement approaches.We are also working to tackle abuses in the system and make sure foreign national offenders or those who arrive here illegally and have no right to stay in the UK are not able to misuse a system intended to protect genuine victims in order to avoid justice.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing Associations: Rents

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Social housing rents consultation, published by his Department on 31 August 2022, what assessment he has made of the potential financial impact of capping rent increases on housing associations in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.

Andrew Stephenson: Our consultation on social housing rents in England issued on 31 August 2022 sought views on a temporary change to social housing rent policy that would take effect from 1 April 2023. Alongside this consultation we published an Impact Assessment (Annex D) which provided our assessment of the impact of options set out in our consultation paper – including on housing associations and local authorities. These documents can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/social-housing-rents-consultation.The consultation closed on 12 October 2022 and we are currently reviewing the responses.

Refugees: Ukraine

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 62104 on Refugees: Ukraine, whether he plans to increase the level of the monthly £350 thank you payments to sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine scheme; and how many households have received thank you payments of £350 under the Homes for Ukraine scheme in each month since payments commenced.

Andrew Stephenson: We recognise the growing pressure on family finances, and the challenges that households are facing with the rising costs of living. We are continuing to work with local councils and sponsors to support them with their hosting arrangements.The data on the number of tariff and thank you payments made to all local authorities between March and May 2022 can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-for-ukraine-funding-march-to-may-2022/annex-a-homes-for-ukraine-local-authority-funding-allocations-march-to-may-2022-wales  Note: The number of thank you payments may be less than the number of sponsoring households due to delays in authorities making thank you payments, or sponsors not accepting thank you paymentsThere is flexibility for how councils can deliver the sponsor payments. Lead sponsors are not eligible for the £350 monthly payment if they are charging the guest rent. For the sponsor, the £350 payment is payable monthly in arrears backdated to the date the Ukrainian national commenced residence in the sponsor’s accommodation.

Domestic Abuse: Rented Housing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help support victims of domestic abuse who are unable to pay their rent due to financial control by the abuse perpetrator.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with cabinet colleagues to help support victims of domestic abuse facing homelessness due to non-payment of rent while under the financial control of an abuse perpetrator.

Andrew Stephenson: It is absolutely critical that victims of domestic abuse get support and especially when they are in housing need. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 gave those who are homeless as a result of being a victim of domestic abuse priority need for accommodation secured by the local authority. Local authorities have statutory duties to prevent and relieve homelessness, including ensuring that help and advice is provided to all eligible people, including victims of domestic abuse, where they are at risk of homelessness within 56 days.The Government is committed to tackling homelessness and fully enforcing the Homelessness Reduction Act, which is why we are investing £2 billion over the next three years into homelessness and rough sleeping. This year, we provided £315.8 million through the Homelessness Prevention Grant, including £5.8 million in new burdens funding to cover the cost of extending priority need to domestic abuse victims.Local authorities may take steps to prevent homelessness and to help ensure that victims do not remain with their abuser for fear of not having a roof over their head – for example, to provide temporary accommodation in a safe area, to help put safety measures in place so that someone can stay in their home, or to provide financial support to help maintain a tenancy, where appropriate.Where a domestic abuse victim needs to flee their home the new duties on local authorities within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 also ensure provision of tailored support within safe accommodation. This is backed by a further £125 million in government funding in both 2021/22 and 2022/23 and local authorities will continue to be funded in future years to deliver these duties.

Social Rented Housing: Young People

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating social housing to young professionals.

Andrew Stephenson: Local authorities are responsible for allocating social housing through schemes they set locally. These are governed by a framework of rules set by central government which ensure social housing is prioritised for those in housing need.In 2015, government introduced the Right to Move to make it even easier for tenants to move closer to work or to take up a job offer.The Right to Move prevents local authorities applying a local connection test that could disadvantage tenants who need to move across local authority boundaries for work related reasons, and ensures that social tenants who need to move for work related reasons, such as young professionals, are given appropriate priority under the local authority's allocation scheme.

Private Rented Housing: Cost of Living

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the cost of living crisis on people living in private rented accommodation; and what steps his Department is taking to help support those people.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government understands the pressures some private renters are facing with the cost of living.That is why it has taken action worth over £37 billion to support those who need it most in 2022-23. This includes households receiving £400 of support with their energy bills through an expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme and the £150 Council Tax rebate for households in England in Council Tax bands A-D. The Household Support Fund has also been extended to help vulnerable households with the cost of essentials including energy bills.In addition, the Energy Price Guarantee will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that a typical household in Great Britain will save around £700 this Winter. The Energy Price Guarantee will be in place from 1 October 2022 until 31 March 2023.Private renters who need help towards their rental payments may be eligible for a range of support through the welfare system. Local Housing Allowance rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2022-23, following investment of nearly £1 billion in April 2020. For those most in need, support is available through Discretionary Housing Payments to help meet a shortfall in housing costs.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for planning appeals.

Lee Rowley: The Inspectorate has been implementing actions to maintain performance in the areas currently performing well and to improve end-to-end times for other casework. In the short term those actions are focused around increasing capacity by:increasing the available capacity for inspectors/other decision makers by recruiting more. The Inspectorate is on track to recruit the planned 50 inspectors/other decision makers this year and are also recruiting 30 more;using contract (non-salaried) inspectors to the full extent of their availability and running a procurement exercise seeking to increase the pool of this resource; andtraining inspectors to handle different casework to increase flexibility.

Capital Investment: West Yorkshire

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who he has consulted on the Government’s plans for free enterprise investment zones in West Yorkshire.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what impact assessments the Government has undertaken on potential impact of free enterprise zones on the local environment in West Yorkshire.

Lee Rowley: Investment Zones will not be imposed on places, rather we want local leaders to work with local and wider stakeholders to deliver proposals that are right for them. The recently closed EOI process required places to have the support of the Local Planning Authority. Without this, sites would not be taken forward.DLUHC is currently assessing all sites received and will have further detail once this has been completed.

Planning

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to take steps to help strengthen the local planning process.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he expects the Examination of the new York Local Plan by Independent Planning Inspectors to conclude.

Lee Rowley: The emerging York local plan remains at examination with the most recent hearings having been concluded in September and the Independent Inspectors now need to be given the opportunity to take the examination forward impartially. Should the inspectors conclude that the plan is capable of being found sound then they will recommend the main modifications which will be consulted upon.

Capital Investment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the average potential cost of establishing each Investment Zone in the UK.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential growth that may be generated by the establishment of Investment Zones in the UK.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential growth that may be generated by Investment Zones in the UK, at the earliest available opportunity after bids have been received.

Lee Rowley: The published guidance made clear, the government anticipates setting up a specific number of Investment Zones where it can be demonstrated they will have the greatest impact on growth and housing supply.While the precise number is still to be determined, places were required to set out the potential economic impact of their proposals in the Expression of Interest. We are currently assessing those EOIs received and will be able to say more when this is complete.

Capital Investment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his statement on 17 October 2022 on the Government's proposed Investment Zones.

Lee Rowley: As the published guidance sets out, there will be a high bar for establishing Investment Zones where the greatest impact on growth and housing supply can be demonstrated. DLUHC is now assessing the EOIs received and once those sites that are successful have been taken forward will be able to provide more detail on the impact of those Zones.

Levelling Up Fund

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the £4.8 billion for the second round of the levelling up fund will be ringfenced from potential Government cuts.

Dehenna Davison: I am grateful to the Hon Member for raising the second round of the Levelling Up Fund. I know local areas are eager to hear results, which the Government will look to announce before the end of the year.Final decisions will not be taken until the new Prime Minister is in post and further information on the Government’s plans for public spending will be set out in due course.

Parking: Fines

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has plans to reduce the length of time that parking operators can pursue unpaid fines as part of the Private Parking Code of Practice.

Dehenna Davison: The Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 makes provision for the recovery of unpaid parking charges, whilst section 5 of the Limitation Act 1980 prescribes the time limit for how long a claimant has to take action through the courts to enforce the payment of a breach of contract.The Private Parking Code of Practice will provide guidance for private parking operators about the operation and management of private parking facilities. However, it cannot overrule primary legislation or amend the statute of limitation.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department has provided to councils on engaging with local MPs applications to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Dehenna Davison: The department has set out in the UKSPF prospectus, that Members of the UK Parliament play an important role in representing the views of their constituents, working collaboratively with local authorities and other local partners to work for the good of local places. The prospectus indicates that they should be closely engaged in the design and delivery of the Fund.Each area’s investment plan sought details on the MPs involved in the local partnership group and whether each are supportive of the final plan. I expect that the investment plan demonstrates local consensus for the plan.Lead local authorities are also encouraged to engage proactively and constructively with MPs on a periodic basis, post investment plan sign-off.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus, published in August 2022, whether (a) leaders of local councils and (b) the leader of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council to have full involvement and sight of UK Shared Prosperity Fund bid proposals before they are submitted.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus, published in August 2022, whether Members of Parliament should be given full rationale and explanation of the selection of bids submitted to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund before they are submitted.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus, published in August 2022, whether local authorities should give Members of Parliament the opportunity to (a) challenge or (b) suggest changes to UK Shared Prosperity Fund bid proposals before they are submitted.

Dehenna Davison: In England, Scotland and Wales, local government (including mayoral combined authorities) has responsibility for developing an Investment Plan for consideration by the UK Government, and responsibility for delivery of the fund thereafter – including assessing and approving project applications, processing payments and day-to-day monitoring. This recognises that pride in place can be best achieved by delivery close to local people and businesses, by authorities that understand each place’s unique local context.Lead local authorities are tasked with working with a diverse range of local and regional stakeholders, civil society organisations, employer bodies responsible for identifying local skills plans, and businesses or business representative groups to achieve Fund outcomes in their areas. In guidance, we set out the types of groups we would suggest are involved in the delivery of the fund, but the precise composition will be for each place to determine, based on their needs.

Regional Planning and Development: Advertising

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 62959, how much his Department spent on the media package with (a) Reach plc and (b) other media partners in relation to the levelling up advertising campaign.

Dehenna Davison: The Department spent the following amount (excluding VAT) working with media partners on the levelling up campaign:a) Reach plc £718,248 b) other partnerships - £1,402,943

Buildings: Urban Areas

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of  cost of leasing high street properties (a) nationally and (b) in York over the last 12 months.

Dehenna Davison: DLUHC does not hold centralised data on trends concerning the costs of leasing high-street properties, regionally or nationally, but continues to monitor market research into leasing rates.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 63323, whether an estimate of the costs for the directors and their offices has been made.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 63322, what proportion of the civil servants who will support levelling up directors she expects will be (a) recruited for that role and (b) already employed in the civil service.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 63322, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the provision of civil service support for levelling up directors on (a) workload levels and (b) other departmental business.

Dehenna Davison: As my answer of 19 October 2022 made clear - the recruitment of Levelling Up Directors is still underway and a further statement will be made in due course including how they will be supported.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Consultants

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2022 to Question 20339, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2021.

Lee Rowley: The Department’s total spend on external recruitment consultants in 2021 was £59,820.

Leasehold: Reform

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraph 104 of the Government’s response to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee report on Leasehold Reform, CP 99, published in July 2019, what recent progress he has made on reforming leasehold, working with the Law Commission.

Lee Rowley: The Government has already legislated via the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 to protect future leaseholders and we are due to bring forward further leasehold reforms later in this Parliament.On 11 January 2022, the Government launched a consultation on a number of recommendations made by the Law Commission that broaden the rights of leaseholders. We will respond in due course.

Local Government Finance

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) inflation and (b) energy costs on local authority budgets in 2023.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing funding to local authorities to cover the costs of (a) inflation and (b) increased energy costs in advance of the release of the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Paul Scully: The 2021 Spending Review settlement took into account a wide range of cost pressures. We announced around £1.6 billion additional grant for local government in 2022/23, including funding for Supporting Families and Cyber Resilience. The Local Government Finance Settlement made available £54.1 billion in 2022/23 for local government in England, an increase of up to £3.7 billion on 2021/22.Inflation forecasts are higher than they were at the 2021 Spending Review. How this interacts with the finances of local government is not straightforward. For example, some councils will have energy contracts expiring soon, whereas others will be fixed for some time. We are working closely with local authorities to monitor the impact on service delivery and budgets.Councils will, of course, benefit from the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme this winter.

Planning: Inspections

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to decrease the backlog in cases waiting inspection from the planning inspectorate.

Lee Rowley: The Inspectorate has been implementing actions to maintain performance in the areas currently performing well and to improve end-to-end times for other casework. In the short term those actions are focused around increasing capacity by:increasing the available capacity for inspectors/other decision makers by recruiting more. The Inspectorate is on track to recruit the planned 50 inspectors/other decision makers this year and are also recruiting 30 more;using contract (non-salaried) inspectors to the full extent of their availability and running a procurement exercise seeking to increase the pool of this resource; andtraining inspectors to handle different casework to increase flexibility.The Planning Inspectorate is an Arm’s Length Government Body with responsibility for allocation of resources, prioritisation and overall operational performance.Ministers regularly meet with the Planning Inspectorate and are taking an active interest in all aspects of operational performance at the agency. Further discussions will continue on how to reduce the time taken for decisions.

Planning: Inspections

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of trends in the length of time for planning inspectors to be assigned to individual cases.

Lee Rowley: The Planning Inspectorate is an Arm’s Length Government Body with responsibility for allocation of resources, prioritisation and overall operational performance.Ministers regularly meet with the Planning Inspectorate and are taking an active interest in all aspects of operational performance at the agency. Further discussions will continue on how to reduce the time taken for decisions.

Private Rented Housing: Students

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to bring forward the legislative proposals contained in the white paper entitled A Fairer Private Rented Sector, published in June 2022.

Andrew Stephenson: Everyone deserves to live in a safe and secure home, and the Government has repeated its commitment to the ban on section 21 no-fault evictions to protect tenants. Ensuring a fair deal for renters remains a priority for the Government. We intend to legislate in this parliament.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Location

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what payments were made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

Chris Philp: In 2021, a total amount of £68,187.46 was paid to Civil Servants for relocation costs where they moved from London office locations to identified growth locations. These costs covered: Estate agent fees, Solicitor fees, Removal fees, Rental fees, Travel costs and Broadband set up fees. This information was gathered from the Cabinet Office iExpenses payroll system.

Public Houses: Rural Areas

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of public houses in rural areas that have closed in the latest period for which data is available; and what steps his Department is taking to help support rural public houses.

Chris Philp: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 18 October is attached.   UKSA Response to PQ 65715 (pdf, 112.7KB)

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 47403 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Special Advisers, tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 5 September 2022, on whether (a) Mr Adam Jones, (b) Ms Sophie Jarvis, (c) Mr Jamie Hope, (d) Mr Reuben Solomon and (e) Ms Sarah Ludlow were continuously employed by the Cabinet Office on full-time special adviser contracts to work at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office between 7 July 2022 and 2 September 2022.

Chris Philp: I refer the Rt hon. Member to PQ 47403, answered on 25 October.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Responsibility

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what units were transferred from the Prime Minister's Office to his Department following the appointment of the new Prime Minister.

Chris Philp: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office for management and staffing purposes; it is not a separate department. Rather, the Cabinet Office has simplified its structures to co-ordinate policy and delivery advice for the Prime Minister.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Responsibility

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what responsibility his Department has for supporting the coordination of the cross-government and the devolution aspects of the response to covid-19.

Chris Philp: My department supports effective intergovernmental working across a range of departmental led policy areas, including the response to Covid-19.

NHS England: Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the total cost of reviewing the business case for introducing Cabinet Office approval for any clinical and non-clinical spending by NHS England.

Chris Philp: Cabinet Office Spend Controls provide third-line, independent assurance for significant and complex areas of spending. Spend Controls benefit organisations and the government as a whole - they help to deliver savings and efficiencies, increase delivery confidence, reduce risk, support capability improvements and help ensure improved outcomes for citizens.The cost of introducing Cabinet Office approval is negligible compared to the efficiency benefits we expect to flow from it.

Treasury; Pay and Pensions

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing the Treasury pay remit and (b) refunding the overpaid pension contributions.

Chris Philp: Pay for grades below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to departments. Pay awards are made by individual departments, in consideration of their own priorities and affordability, and discussed with their trade unions. The pay remit guidance is a cost control document and allows departments to seek further flexibility for a pay award above the headline range for pay awards. It is important that pay awards for civil servants are affordable, as well as fair to both staff and the taxpayer. The pay remit guidance considers economic conditions while balancing the need for sustainable public finances. The 2023/24 guidance will be published next year. Civil servants are not overpaying pension contributions. Member contribution rates are set via the Cost Control element of the Valuation. The 2016 Valuation was completed on 17 December 2021. It found that there was no ‘breach’ in the Cost Control element, meaning there was no need to adjust benefits or contributions. The valuation process ensures that members receive generous benefits linked to their contributions. The 2020 valuation is ongoing.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure all official-sensitive documents are not distributed via personal channels.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure Ministers follow security procedures when dealing with official documents.

Chris Philp: The Government takes matters of security very seriously. Government Departments routinely provide advice and guidance, including to ministers, on the appropriate handling of Government information.

Blood: Contamination

Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a timetable for the interim compensation payments for the victims of the infected blood scandal.

Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the £100,000 interim compensation payment to people affected by infected blood.

Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will disclose the method of payment for those people receiving an interim payment as part of the Infected Blood inquiry.

Chris Philp: In his interim report of 29 July, Sir Brian Langstaff recommended that the amount of interim compensation should be "no less than £100,000, as recommended by Sir Robert Francis QC." The Government made a commitment to accept in full the recommendations of Sir Brian's interim report. I can confirm infected individuals and bereaved partners who are registered with any of the four UK infected blood support schemes will receive interim compensation payments of £100,000 by the end of October. The administrators of the four schemes are writing to beneficiaries this week confirming the £100,000 alongside details of how the money will be paid.

UK Trade with EU

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate HMRC has made of the number of companies that have stopped trading in the European Union since the end of the Brexit transition period; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Philp: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 14 October is attached.  Brexit Transition (pdf, 200.4KB)

Paymaster-General: Ministerial Responsibility

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes were made to the ministerial responsibilities of the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office following the appointment of the hon. Member for Croydon South to that post.

Chris Philp: A revised List of Ministerial Responsibilities will be published in due course. In the meantime, departments are updating their ministers' pages on GOV.UK which also include portfolio information.

Political Parties: Finance

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will have discussions with the Metropolitan Police on the steps being taken to help ensure political parties do not exchange financial contributions for honours.

Chris Philp: It is against the law to 'sell' honours or peerages - offering cash for awards - under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. Honours are earned, not bought, and there are clear procedures in place to protect the honours system and to ensure the integrity of the selection process. Donations to any political party should not be regarded as a reason for disqualification from receiving an honour. More broadly, fundraising by political parties is a legitimate part of the democratic process. The alternative is taxpayer-funding of political campaigning, which would mean less money for frontline services like schools, police and hospitals.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Special Advisers

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) Mr Adam Jones, (b) Ms Sophie Jarvis, (c) Mr Jamie Hope, (d) Mr Reuben Solomon and (e) Ms Sarah Ludlow were continuously employed by the Cabinet Office on full-time special adviser contracts to work at his Department between the dates of 7 July and 2 September 2022.

Chris Philp: The named individuals were continuously employed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as special advisers on full-time contracts between 7 July and 2 September 2022. As per the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, special advisers may have involvement in political activity in their own time, outside office hours. Departmental special advisers were also permitted to take unpaid leave to take part in a leadership campaign, subject to Ministerial approval. In this case, all these individuals took unpaid leave for the duration of the campaign, meaning there was no cost to the taxpayer for any such activity. These are long-standing arrangements, and reflect the substantive rules put in place for the Labour Party leadership election under the last Labour Government (as evident from Library deposited papers DEP 06/2344 and DEP 07/1292).

National Science and Technology Council

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the National Science and Technology Council, announced on 12 October, differs from its predecessor of the same name.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) remit and (b) objectives of the new National Science and Technology Council are.

Chris Philp: The National Science and Technology Council was a Cabinet Committee which was established in October 2021 to consider matters relating to strategic advantage through science and technology. The National Science and Technology Council, established in October 2022, is an Interministerial Group responsible for delivering an ambitious UK science and technology strategy. The council will allow Ministers to coordinate efforts across government to create the very best conditions for science and technology in the UK as a crucial driver of economic growth, prosperity and security.

Treasury

Taxation: Domicil

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the potential average annual revenue to the Exchequer that would be accrued if non-domiciled status was abolished.

Felicity Buchan: Non-domiciled taxpayers were liable to pay £7,896 million in UK Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, and National Insurance contributions in the tax year ending 2021.Those non-domiciles using the remittance basis pay UK tax on their UK-income and gains, and they only pay UK tax on foreign income and gains when or if those amounts are brought into the UK.The remittance basis provides internationally mobile individuals in the UK, but with ongoing ties to another country, with an alternative treatment for their overseas income and capital gains. It increases the attractiveness and competitiveness of the UK as a place to live, to work, and invest.The Government does not have an estimate of the Exchequer revenue from the removal of the non-domiciled remittance basis of taxation.

Child Benefit: Personal Income

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money the Government has recouped from child benefit claimants due to overpayment as a result of the High-Income Child Benefit Charge in each of the last three years.

Richard Fuller: The High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) is a tax charge which applies to anyone with an adjusted net income of over £50,000 who receives Child Benefit, or whose partner receives it. HICBC is calculated on an individual rather than a household basis, in line with other income tax policy. The charge increases gradually for those with incomes between £50,000 and £60,000 and is equal to one per cent of a family’s Child Benefit for every extra £100 of income that is over £50,000 each year. Where income exceeds £60,000, the tax charge is equal to the amount payable in Child Benefit. The total value of HICBC revenue in relation to the year of liability is published on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-income-child-benefit-charge-data/high-income-child-benefit-charge. The figures for the last three years for which data is available are shown in the table below.  2017-182018-192019-20HICBC revenue (£million)423437416

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of (a) the taxable profits of North Sea oil and gas companies and (b) Government tax revenues derived from North sea oil and gas companies in the Financial Years (i) 2022-3, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25.

Richard Fuller: HM Treasury does not produce estimates of profits of North Sea oil and gas companies. Forecasts for Government revenues from oil and gas production are provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Their most recent published forecast, provided for Spring Statement 2022 on 23 March, is available on the OBR website at: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2022/.

PAYE

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many PAYE taxpayers were subject to enforcement action due to non-payment of (a) income tax and (b) national insurance by their employers in each year since 2010.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many registered employers of PAYE taxpayers were subject to enforcement action due to non-payment of (a) income tax and (b) national insurance in each year since 2010.

Richard Fuller: HMRC only ever considers enforcement action as a last resort. Many customers that they take enforcement action against will have multiple debts and they apply their powers consistently across all debts and customers, regardless of how the tax arose. HMRC do not treat PAYE debts any differently and so do not collect or hold data on the number of cases in which enforcement action was taken against employers or employees, where an employer refuses to pay their liabilities.

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the introduction of a windfall tax on oil and gas companies.

Richard Fuller: The Chancellor has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of subjects, and discussions among Cabinet colleagues are considered confidential. The Government introduced the Energy Profits Levy from 26 May in response to sharp increases in oil and gas prices over the past year and to help fund cost of living support for UK households. The Levy is an additional 25 per cent surcharge on UK oil and gas profits, taking the combined headline tax rate for oil and gas companies operating in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf to 65 per cent. The Government expects the Levy to raise over £7 billion in 2022-23 based on forecast oil and gas prices. All taxes are kept under review and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.

Treasury: Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.

Felicity Buchan: HM Treasury’s taxi cabs spend for 2019-20 to 2021-22 can be found in the table below Financial YearSpend2019/20£81,250.842020/21£29,276.242021/22£42,529.55 The provision of our taxi contract does not differentiate between ministers and officials, so we do not have that level of detail. Taxis are defined as a car available with a driver for hire, including a minicab.

Domestic Visits: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to make his first official visit to Wales.

Felicity Buchan: The Chancellor of the Exchequer looks forward to an official visit to Wales, and visits to all the devolved nations, in the coming months, when his diary allows.

Treasury: Location

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a breakdown of the total payments made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

Felicity Buchan: The total payment made to HM Treasury employees for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021, was £47,501.

Blockchain and Cryptoassets: Regulation

Alex Chalk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that the regulatory framework for (a) cryptoassets and (b) blockchain technology helps facilitate investment and growth.

Andrew Griffith: The Government set out at Fintech Week its firm ambition to make UK a global hub for cryptoasset technology and investment. The Government wants to ensure firms can invest, innovate and scale up in this country. And the Government has announced a number of reforms which will see the regulation and aspects of tax treatment of cryptoassets evolve – our clear message to cryptoasset firms is that the UK is open for business.These include committing to consult on a future regulatory regime; legislating to bring stablecoins into payments regulation; setting up a series of ministerial-chaired roundtables, bringing together key figures in industry; and exploring ways of enhancing the competitiveness of the UK tax system to encourage further development of the cryptoasset market in the UK.

Bank Services: Urban Areas

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of designated high street areas without a bank branch.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of bank branches which closed in (a) London and (b) England in each year since 2015.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of access to (a) cash and (b) banking services for elderly people.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of access to (a) cash and (b) banking services for disabled people.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of bank branch closures on charity collections and revenue.

Andrew Griffith: The way people bank in the UK continues to develop at pace, with more consumers and businesses than ever enjoying the convenience, security, and speed of digital banking. In 2021, 86% of UK adults used a form of remote banking, such as an app, online or on the phone. Banking customers have never had more choice in how they fit their banking into their everyday lives. The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. However, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to close their branches or free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers (including charities) and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.  The FCA expects firms to exercise particular care with vulnerable customers, such as those who are elderly, disabled or have low financial capability, and the guidance has recently been strengthened to enhance protections for consumers that rely on branch services. Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers (including charities) to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK. New shared bank hubs are also being piloted, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank. As part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022, the Government has introduced legislation to protect access to cash. The Bill protects access to cash by establishing the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator and providing it with appropriate powers to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. These powers will allow the FCA to take account of factors it considers appropriate for seeking to ensure there is reasonable provision of cash access services, this could include factors such as the appropriateness of facilities for people in vulnerable groups.

Mortgages

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to take steps to compensate people who have not been able to proceed with purchase of a property due to mortgage products being withdrawn since 23 September 2022.

Andrew Griffith: There remains a broad range of mortgage products on the market, including for those with a small deposit. Those looking to take out a mortgage are encouraged to shop around and speak to a mortgage broker. The pricing and availability of loans is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. Likewise, it would not be appropriate for the Government to intervene in individual house sales.

No-interest Loans Scheme

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made in the wider pilot of the No Interest Loan Scheme.

Andrew Griffith: Progress on the pilot of the No-Interest Loan Scheme is good and over 60 no-interest loans have now been issued at the proof-of-concept site in South Manchester, providing real world impact for recipients. Fair4All Finance (who are delivering the scheme) are now finalising contracts with the lenders chosen to take part in the wider pilot and the government expect three pilot locations to have started lending by the end of November and a further pilot location to start lending in January, so that full-scale rollout will have commenced by early 2023. Fair4All Finance expects to deliver tens of thousands of no-interest loans over the course of the pilot.

First Time Buyers

Aaron Bell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the support available for people saving to buy a house; and if he will reconsider the limits placed on help to buy ISAs.

Andrew Griffith: The Help to Buy: ISA scheme aims to help those who are struggling to save enough to get onto the housing ladder. As first-time buyers tend to buy smaller (and therefore cheaper) first properties, the scheme’s property price cap of £250,000 for properties outside London (£450,000 within London) allows the Government to target support more precisely at the people the scheme is intended to help. Since its launch in 2015, the scheme has supported 497,940 property completions across the UK, with a mean property value of £176,125 compared with an average first-time buyer house price of £231,704. While the Government keeps all aspects of savings policy under review, Help to Buy: ISA account holders can transfer their funds to a Lifetime ISA without incurring any penalties. The Lifetime ISA allows first-time buyers to benefit from the Government bonus when purchasing properties up to £450,000 anywhere in the UK. Further information on the Lifetime ISA together with a comprehensive list other forms of home purchase support schemes can be found on the Government’s website below: https://www.ownyourhome.gov.uk/

Banks: Closures

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of bank branches which have closed in (a) Lancashire and (b) England in each year since 2015.

Andrew Griffith: The way people bank in the UK continues to develop at pace, with more consumers and businesses than ever enjoying the convenience, security, and speed of digital banking. In 2021, 86% of UK adults used a form of remote banking, such as an app, online or on the phone. Banking customers have never had more choice in how they fit their banking into their everyday lives. The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. However, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to close their branches or free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly. Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK. New shared bank hubs are also being piloted, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank. As part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022, the Government has introduced legislation to protect access to cash. The Bill protects access to cash by establishing the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator and providing it with appropriate powers to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to help ensure companies do not charge consumers excessive fees for withdrawing cash at ATMs.

Andrew Griffith: Arrangements for cash machines are commercial decisions for the operators of ATMs and ATM networks. LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. In recognition that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK the Government has introduced legislation to protect access to cash as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill. The legislation will establish the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to ensure that people can continue to access cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. These powers will allow the FCA to take account of factors it considers appropriate for seeking to ensure there is reasonable provision of cash access services, this could include factors such as cost for end users.

Banks: Closures

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet Colleagues on reducing the number of bank branch closures.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of bank branch closures in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last five years; and what steps he will take to ensure people have access to local banking services.

Andrew Griffith: The Chancellor meets with his Cabinet colleagues on a regular basis, to discuss a variety of issues. The way people bank in the UK continues to develop at pace, with more consumers and businesses than ever enjoying the convenience, security, and speed of digital banking. In 2021, 86% of UK adults used a form of remote banking, such as an app, online or on the phone. Banking customers have never had more choice in how they fit their banking into their everyday lives. The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. However, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to close their branches or free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.  The guidance has recently been strengthened to enhance protections for consumers that rely on branch services. Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK. As part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022, the Government has introduced legislation to protect access to cash. The Bill protects access to cash by establishing the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator and providing it with appropriate powers to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities.

Foreign Loans: Interest Rates

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the impact on LICs of rising interest rates on foreign loans.

Andrew Griffith: The recent IMF World Economic Outlook underlined the difficulties that tightening financial conditions pose for low-income countries. In this environment, it is essential that countries take on new debt responsibly and that lenders provide credit on terms that promote sustainability. The UK is a signatory to the OECD Sustainable Lending Principles, which help ensure this. We monitor the risks posed by global interest rates and are fully committed to working with our international partners to help the most vulnerable countries address the challenges they face. For example, it is a UK priority to ensure the swift implementation of the Common Framework, which was agreed to help deliver a long-term, sustainable approach for supporting low-income countries to tackle their debt vulnerabilities.

Cost of Living Payments: Visual Impairment

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing targeted cost of living support for blind and partially sighted people.

Edward Argar: The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and especially to the most vulnerable members of society, such as blind or partially sighted people. That is why the Government is taking decisive action to get households through this winter, while ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way. People who are blind or partially sighted and in receipt of extra-costs disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from 20th September, to help with the extra costs disabled people are facing. The DWP has already processed around 6 million such payments. This payment can be received in addition to the other £650 Cost of Living Payment for households on means-tested benefits that was announced as part of the same package. People who are blind or partially sighted will also benefit from the £400 of support for energy bills that the Government is providing through an expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme, as well as from the £150 Council Tax rebate and the recently announced Energy Price Guarantee, which will support millions of households with rising energy costs this winter. This cost of living support is in addition to the existing specific financial support to help blind or partially sighted people. The Government provides the Blind Person's Allowance (BPA), an extra amount of tax-free allowance that can be added to an individual’s Personal Allowance, to those who are blind or severely sight impaired. In 2022-23, the allowance is £2,600 and therefore worth £520 given the basic rate of 20%. If the recipient does not pay tax or earn enough to use their full BPA, the remainder of the allowance can be transferred to a spouse or civil partner.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he will publish an Office of Budget Responsibility report to accompany the proposals in his statement on 17 October 2022.

Edward Argar: The government will publish its full Medium-Term Fiscal Plan on 31 October, accompanied by an independent Office for Budget Responsibility economic and fiscal forecast. This forecast will provide an assessment of the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan, including the impact of the announcements made on 17 October, as well as an in-depth analysis of the economy and public finances. The Fiscal Plan will set out the government’s responsible fiscal approach fully, including how it will reduce debt as a percentage of GDP over the medium term.

Local Government Finance: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to increase funding for the London Borough of Havering.

Edward Argar: Spending Review 2021 provided councils with £1.6 billion of new grant funding in each year between 2022-23 and 2024-25 to meet pressures in social care and other local services, resulting in £4.8 billion of additional grant in total over the three years. This represents the largest annual increases in core funding for local authorities in over a decade.The 2022-23 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils in total, including funding for adult social care reform. Funding allocations for future years will be confirmed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.

Development Aid

Ruth Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to restore the UK's Official Development Assistance budget to 0.7 per cent of GDP.

Edward Argar: In July 2021 the former Chancellor set out the fiscal circumstances under which the UK will make the return to spending 0.7% of its GNI on ODA. This is set out in detail in a written ministerial statement, here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-07-12/hcws172. Each year, the Government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely and will review and confirm, in accordance with the Act, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecasts.

Money Laundering

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department will publish its conclusions on the consultation on reforming the UK's Anti-Money Laundering Supervision system.

Andrew Griffith: The government published a review of the UK’s anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CFT) regulatory and supervisory regime in June 2022. The review recognised that despite significant progress from the UK’s AML/CFT supervisors, there is still room for further improvement to strengthen the UK’s defences against economic crime.The review also set out possible options for future reform. The Treasury will publish its conclusions following a formal consultation on the options under consideration, to ensure the risks and implications are fully understood.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Media: Privacy

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to protect the public from media intrusion.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to a free and independent press, and does not intervene in what the press can and cannot publish. We are clear, however, that with this freedom, comes responsibility, which media organisations must take seriously.It is important that there exists an independent self regulatory regime to ensure that the press adheres to a wide set of clear and appropriate standards, and to offer individuals a means of redress where these are not met.

BBC: Harassment

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the BBC on online harassment of employees of that company within that organisation in the last 12 months.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with the BBC regarding online harassment of female employees of that organisation.

Julia Lopez: DCMS ministers and officials have regular meetings with the BBC on a range of issues. Details of ministerial meetings are published on the GOV.UK website.The Government is committed to helping ensure the safety of journalists in the UK. We have established a National Committee for the Safety of Journalists and published a national action plan setting out the steps that the government, the police, industry and others are taking to address this important issue.

Future of Women's Football Review

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many times (a) she and (b) officials from her Department have had discussions with the Chair of the Future of Women's Football Review since the Chair's appointment.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her timetable of future meetings with the Chair of the Future of Women's Football Review is; and if she will publish regular updates on those meetings.

Stuart Andrew: This Government is a staunch supporter of women’s football and the Future of Women’s Football Review is the next step in driving forward momentum for women’s football in this country.Officials from the Department form the secretariat of the Review alongside the FA. Officials are in near daily contact with the Chair of the Review, and speak at least twice weekly with the Chair to discuss progress and analyse evidence. To date officials have collaborated with the Chair on nine individual stakeholder evidence sessions, a roundtable with Women’s Super League Clubs, and a roundtable with Women’s Championship Clubs. Officials will work with the Chair on a further eight stakeholder roundtables covering the key themes of the review over the next two weeks.Ministerial engagement will take place in tandem with planned stakeholder roundtables over the coming weeks. The results of the Review will be published in the Chair’s final report, which will be published in spring 2023.

Exercise: Females

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding in the 2022 Nuffield Health Healthier Nation Index that almost half of the female population have done no vigorous exercise in the past 12 months.

Stuart Andrew: I am absolutely committed to supporting women's sport at every opportunity including pushing for greater participation. I recognise the impact that the pandemic has had on women’s sport. Sport England’s latest Active Lives data, published in April this year, shows that men (63%) are still more likely to be active than women (60%).There are some fantastic initiatives that exist to encourage women to take up sport and physical activity, for example Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign, which has already inspired millions of women and girls to get active regardless of shape, size and ability. This Girl Can has also been working with ukactive and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to provide resources and training to help leisure and fitness facilities ensure their spaces are safe and inclusive for all women.

Football: Females

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to increase support to women's football, following the success of the lionesses at Euro 2022 and the open letter the Lionesses wrote to the Prime Minister in August 2022.

Stuart Andrew: We are determined to support more women and girls to get active and football is the most popular team sport in terms of participation for women and girls.The Lionesses’ fantastic performance at the 2022 Women’s Euros has truly inspired the nation with a record breaking crowd of over 87,000 attending the final and 23.3m UK viewers tuning into the BBC’s coverage. It is essential that we take the opportunity to capitalise on and build on the success and legacy of the tournament and the team to secure a long lasting and sustainable future for the women’s game.To raise the profile of facilities in the UK, and to commemorate the Lionesses, the Football Foundation is working with facility owners to name pitches/facilities in towns and cities that have a strong link to each tournament winning squad member. We will also continue to invest in grassroots sport to bring on the next generation of Lionesses and continue to work with the Department for Education to ensure girls have equal access to sports. The Prime Minister and the DCMS Secretary of State were delighted to meet the Lionesses earlier this month who are extraordinary ambassadors for sport. They reconfirmed their commitment to reviewing the barriers to girls accessing two hours of PE.The recently announced Women’s Football Review will look at how to deliver bold and sustainable growth of the women’s game at elite and grassroots level. We would encourage all interested stakeholders and organisations to come forward and contribute views to Karen Carney’s review. It is vital that we hear from a variety of voices across the game.

Museums and Galleries: Collections

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the implementation of sections 15 and 16 of the Charities Act 2022 on the ability of trustees of national museums to seek authorisation from the (a) Charity Commission, (b) Attorney general or (c) in the courts to return collection items if they are motivated by a moral obligation.

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Charities Act 2022 on decisions by trustees of national museums to consider the moral claims of restitution claimants.

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Charities Act 2022: implementation plan, published April 2022, what plans do the Government have to bring sections 15 and 16 of the Act into force.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is deferring the commencement of sections 15 and 16 of the Charities Act 2022 until we fully understand the implications for National Museums and other charities. When Parliament debated the Charities Bill, enabling national museums to restitute items from their collections based on moral grounds was neither considered, nor agreed on.Deferring the commencement of these sections of the Act, which were initially planned to be in the first tranche of commencements in autumn 2022, will have no impact on the implementation of the other sections in the Charities Act 2022.

Music: Finance

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to promote brass bands and music; and how much funding her Department has made available for those purposes in each year since 2015.

Stuart Andrew: The Government supports the arts predominantly through Arts Council England (ACE) funding. ACE plays a hugely important role in developing England’s arts and culture, as the national development agency for creativity and culture.ACE is working with Brass Bands England, the sector support organisation for brass bands, to make a significant difference in the development of the sector. In particular they are providing support to brass bands across the country to develop and diversify their membership and audiences. Brass Bands England was recently awarded a National Lottery Project Grant to support the European Brass Band Festival held in Birmingham in April earlier this year.Between 2015 and October 2022, ACE has provided £12,372,233 to organisations and projects that were classified as brass bands. Over the same period, ACE has provided over £1.7 billion to organisations and projects whose main discipline is music. Since April 2016, brass bands have also benefited from the Orchestra tax relief, including the higher rate of 50% from October 2021 until April 2023.

Television Licences: Non-payment

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people were convicted for not paying their TV license under the provisions of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 since 1992.

Julia Lopez: The requirement to hold, and pay for, a TV Licence is set out in the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004.Parliament approved the BBC assuming the role of the TV Licensing Authority in 1991, and under the Communications Act 2003, the BBC is authorised to collect and enforce the Licence Fee by law on the government's behalf.The TV licence fee was administered under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 until the passage of the 2003 Act.The Ministry of Justice currently publishes the number of prosecutions, convictions and sentencing outcomes for the non-payment of TV licence fees annually as part of their criminal justice statistics quarterly publications, which can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterlyFigures for each year since 2005 up to 2021 are available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool, and can be found in the following tables:2017-2021: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1076459/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2021-v2.xlsx2016: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063880/outcomes-by-offence-2020-revised.xlsx2005-2015: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524326/cjs-outcomes-by-offence.xlsxTo view the relevant figures in these tables, select ‘191A Television licence evasion’ in the Offence filter.The number of people convicted for TV licence evasion in the years between 1992 and 2004 can be found in the attached tables. Table 1 sets out the number of convictions for television licence evasion in this period under the Communications Act 2003. Table 2 sets out convictions for offences against the Wireless Telegraphy Acts, 1949 to 1967 in the same period. While television licence evasion was an offence under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949, the figures in Table 2 may include other offences under the specified Acts.Table outlining information sources  (pdf, 30.1KB)

Women and Equalities

Menopause: Discrimination

Ian Byrne: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to prevent menopause discrimination in the workplace.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to prevent menopause discrimination in the workplace.

Katherine Fletcher: It is important that those who experience substantial and longer-term menopausal effects should be adequately protected from discrimination in the workplace, and that employers are fully aware of the challenges and their current legal obligations, including under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act).The government is strengthening guidance that will give a set of clear and simple ‘principles’ that employers would be expected to apply, to support disabled people and those with long term health conditions in the work environment. The guidance could also apply where workers are experiencing symptoms such as those that occur in the menopause. It will be published by the Health and Safety Executive in Autumn 2022.Depending on circumstances, the Act provides protection from discrimination on grounds of sex and/or age and/or disability for employees experiencing the effects of the menopause. An employee may bring a discrimination claim under more than one of these grounds, which the courts can then consider sequentially, where appropriate.Ultimately, it is for a person who feels that they have been discriminated against to make a claim against the employer through an Employment Tribunal. As part of this process they are required to make initial contact with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), which provides free authoritative and impartial advice to employees/applicants and employers.The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) also provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns, who feel that they may have suffered unlawful discrimination.